


Until the Stars Fall From the Sky

by nargles_exist



Series: Savage Garden Series [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dancing, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Royalty, Smut, Weddings, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:55:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 33,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23954968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nargles_exist/pseuds/nargles_exist
Summary: Everyone who's anyone has turned up in their best finery for the wedding of Prince Akiteru to Lady Saeko Tanaka, and the celebration afterward is sure to be a night to remember. Even though Tadashi was invited, he is still nervous to find out if the younger prince, Kei, regrets the kisses they shared in the woods, or if he perhaps feels the same way Tadashi does. The castle's royal ballroom is packed with guests, both familiar and not, and even if it takes Tadashi all night to find Kei, he is sure to have an interesting time among the castle's most vibrant personalities.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tanaka Saeko/Tsukishima Akiteru, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Savage Garden Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726978
Comments: 9
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to When the Moon Kissed the Mountain, and in the same universe as Love at Second Sight. This has been in the works for a while, but I decided to finish it up for Haikyuu Wedding Week (#HQWW) on Twitter. It's full of shameless, self-serving fluff and nonsense, and I hope you didn't come expecting much plot. It was fun to explore the universe a little more and develop some of the other characters' motives and relationships. 
> 
> I separated this into two chapters: the first is the wedding and celebration afterward, and it is rated, at most, T. The second chapter is the wedding night, as it is experienced by many of the main characters, and the E rating is for this chapter. If you would prefer not to read explicit sexual content, you can skip Chapter Two.

A whistle pierced the calm atmosphere in the extensive guest quarters. Turning, Ryuu found his best friend standing in the doorway, looking him over. He strutted around in a circle, then straightened the cuffs on his intricately stitched jacket. 

"Looking good, Ryuu!" said Noya, bumping his friend out of the way to claim a space at the mirror. "Almost as good as me."

"Hey, I was using that!"

"What for?" teased Noya. "It's not like you have any hair to fix."

Ryuu ran a hand over the barely visible fuzz of his close-cropped hair. That much was true, but he wasn't going to let Noya win that easily. 

The two young men were still tussling, undoing most of their primping progress, when Saeko swept into the room. She sighed. "Ryuu! Yuu! My dress is very expensive and very difficult to move in, but I _swear_ I will whip both of your asses." She tried to lower herself into a comfy chair, but after a couple of attempts at contorting, trying to find a way that her dress would allow her to bend, she gave up and just leaned against it. "Those handmaids laced me up so tight I'm surprised there's anything left of me." She smoothed her hands down the stiff, beaded bodice. Her dress was lovely -- white silk with delicate white and blue beading that was perfectly designed for a winter wedding. It wasn't the dress's fault that the wedding had been moved up several months.

"How are you gonna eat cake?" asked Ryuu, restoring his clothes to order after the impromptu wrestling match with Noya. 

"Hmm," she tilted her head back and smiled mischievously. "I bet I can get my new husband to unlace me a little after the ceremony."

"GROSS" shouted Noya, at the same time as Ryuu growled, "I'll kill him if he touches you!"

"He _better_ touch me," shot back Saeko, "since it's our wedding night. Though," she added, in a calmer tone, "I don't want him to get too worked up because he _is_ still recovering." She glared at the two men. "And that means _you two_ better be on your best behaviour. No threatening to kill him or anything. I don't think he quite gets that you're not serious--"

"I'm serious!" interjected Ryuu.

"--and he's been very kind and understanding about letting you both stay here with us. Especially because Yuu's not actually family."

"I'm close enough," piped up Noya, back in front of the mirror. Ryuu and Noya had been friends since they were young children, and Noya had been unofficially adopted. Where the Tanaka family went, he went. They were the only ones who called him by his given name. 

"And try to be friendly to his brother, okay?" she continued.

"We have tried," protested Ryuu. "He just doesn't like us."

"Yeah, I actually went to the library just to have something to talk to him about," added Noya, dramatically, "and he didn't even care!"

"You read a book?" asked Saeko.

"No," said Noya, trying to push his hair into a more pleasing shape. "I just went to the library."

"Don't worry," cooed Ryuu, smushing his cheek against his sister's. "We'll be the nicest brothers you could ask for, and we won't cause any problems. Promise."

"Hmm," said Saeko, pushing him away, but she didn't have time for more in depth interrogation because the handmaidens came to fetch her. The ceremony was about to start.

*

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," muttered Akiteru, staring at his reflection. He was sure there was something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "Okay," he said again.

"Stop saying 'okay'," said Kei, who was dressed and ready and was sitting in an armchair, reading a book. Only the bouncing of his foot showed that he was also nervous. Personally, he thought he had more reason to be nervous, because after all, Aki had already secured his relationship. Kei hadn't heard from Tadashi since they parted in the woods, and that was weeks ago. There had been no reply to the invitation, and he wasn't even sure Tadashi would show up. He wouldn't blame him if he didn't, actually. Kei didn't particularly want to go, either, and he was relatively used to these fancy events, mingling and dancing and making phony small talk. Maybe Tadashi had decided he didn't want to deal with that. Maybe he didn't have enough time to prepare for a wedding. They had rushed it, and no one had much time to prepare. 

The groom was definitely not prepared. He had been dancing at their engagement ball and then woke up to a story about being unconscious for a week, and now all of a sudden, it was wedding time? Things were moving very fast. And he was ready to marry Saeko, in theory. He liked her a lot, and they got on really well, and they had shared some steamy kisses in secret, but… he was having some small panicky feelings about the actual logistics of the wedding ceremony. Like… "What if I forget what I'm supposed to say?? Wait! What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know, maybe _pay attention_ during the ceremony?" suggested Kei. He didn't feel like being very helpful, but he knew it wasn't really Aki's fault he was grumpy. He sighed and tried to push away his self-pity so that he could focus on his brother. "It's not like you're reciting unique vows," he said, putting his book to the side. "So all you have to do is listen to the priest and then answer when he asks you a question." He stood and moved to stand in front of his brother. "Wow, you are sweating. A lot."

"I know, right?" Akiteru held his arms out away from himself and tried to fan his face at the same time. 

Kei took his arm. "Maybe we should take a little walk in the garden to get some fresh air. And then find you a drink to calm your nerves."

*

Tadashi and Yachi hitched a ride to the castle on the back of a cart. They both lived outside of city bounds, but business regularly took them into the city, so it wasn't too hard to find someone to give them a lift. The driver took them to the gates, where they hopped off the wagon and showed the guard their invitation. 

Tadashi was trying to look smooth, like he belonged among all the rich, noblepeople. But then there was Yachi, who was just gaping at everyone and everything. He tried to discreetly nudge her, but she was too excited to be reined in. "Did you see that see dress she had on?" she hissed, not actually that quietly. "I think it had real jewels sewn on!"

"Yachi!" exclaimed Tadashi, desperately, grimacing a smile at someone who was glaring at them. He tried to rush her through the crowd of people in the courtyard. 

"Ooh, look at all the candles!" 

Tadashi was physically dragging her, and he wasn't really watching where he was going, so he ended up running into someone. It felt like he hit a solid wall. "Oh, I'm so sorry." He looked up to see a guard.

"Don't worry about it," he said, patting Tadashi on the shoulder. 

This interruption had resulted in the escape of Yachi, and Tadashi sighed. Now where did she go? He stared around the courtyard, but Yachi was very small, and he couldn't see any sign of her. He did see a familiar face, though. "Oh, Sugawara!"

The silver haired healer made his way over to him. "Oh, hello, Yamaguchi. I was hoping to see you here! You look great!" 

Tadashi bit his lip and tugged at his borrowed and embellished outfit. He had gotten a moss green dress jacket secondhand, and he had done some work for a little old lady in the village in exchange for her embroidering leafy designs all over it in subtle greens and golds. "I hope it's okay for something like this," he said, nervously. 

"Of course it is," assured Suga. "It suits you very well. I hope you're going to stay for the party after the wedding…?" He said it in a questioningly way, but somehow Tadashi got the feeling that he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. 

"Oh, um, yes." After all, that was probably the only chance he'd have to speak to Kei. He was nervous about seeing him again, because what if things had changed? But he needed to find out, one way or another. "Excuse me," he said to Sugawara, "but I need to find my friend." He hurried off.

Suga watched him with an amused expression for a moment before turning and launching himself at the guard. The guard instinctively caught him, though he nearly knocked over a decorative statue in the process. 

"Suga! What are you doing??" demanded the guard.

"I just wanted to see if you'd catch me," replied Suga with a grin, dropping a kiss on his nose. "Loosen up a little, Daichi."

"If I loosen up, I'll drop you," grumbled Daichi, as he lowered the other man carefully back to the ground. "And it may have escaped your notice, but I'm sort of on duty, here." 

"You're always on duty."

"Actually," said Daichi, draping his arms around Suga and pulling him closer. "I traded shifts so that I could be off duty by the end of the wedding… so that I can dance with my extremely handsome boyfriend and make everyone else jealous."

Suga's grin was so wide that it made his eyes crinkle. "Oh, you did, did you?"

"Mmmhmmm. Perks of being the captain."

"Well, quick, give me a kiss before your handsome boyfriend shows up."

" _Extremely_ handsome," corrected Daichi, leaning in for a kiss. 

"I better see you later," said Suga, pulling away and giving him a stern look.

"You will," Daichi promised.

*

Despite Akiteru's worries, the ceremony was unremarkable. Everybody was where they were supposed to be, and everyone said the right things, and in less than half an hour, the kingdom had a new princess. In the post-wedding chaos, no one seemed to notice that the bride and groom disappeared for a while. Or that when they reappeared, the groom looked distinctly rumpled and the bride was moving a lot more freely. 

Saeko, unlike the rest of the royal family, had a commanding sort of voice, and despite the queen's repeated suggestions that the guests move along to the ballroom, not much happened until Saeko told them all to move it. She grabbed Akiteru's hand and swept along towards the ballroom, and by the time most of the guests caught up to her, she had the band corralled and tuning their instruments.

The royal ballroom was massive, in Tadashi's opinion. It was bigger than his whole house: with curtain-draped balconies, a polished wooden floor for dancing, some comfortable looking furniture to one side for those who got danced out, and, in a prominent position, a dais with several small tables for the royal family and honored guests. He was kind of overwhelmed still and kept to the periphery, moving around towards the seating area and observing. 

Once the band began to play in earnest, the newlyweds took to the dancefloor. Saeko may have dragged her husband out there to begin with, but once they started dancing, it was clear that Akiteru was completely capable of matching her in dancing. They moved together seamlessly, and Tadashi couldn't help but remember Kei dancing with him in the forest. It had only been a few weeks, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. His eyes scanned the room, searching for the familiar face. Of course, he had seen Kei during the wedding, standing beside his brother, and Tadashi had smiled at the stoic, unaffected face he wore. But Tadashi had been just another face in the crowd, so he was sure Kei hadn't noticed him. Eventually, he hoped they'd get the chance to talk--maybe even dance-- but he didn't know the etiquette of approaching a royal prince to ask for a dance.

Yachi had overcome her awe to some extent, but she was still whispering excitedly to him about various people's clothes or the decorations or the giant punch bowl or the candelabras. They watched the dancers for a few moments, and more and more couples joined the newlyweds on the dancefloor. Tadashi hadn't spotted Kei yet, but it was hard to focus with so many people whirling past him. He'd sit with the royal family at the head table, right? And no one was sitting there yet. He took a deep breath and decided not to worry about it right now. After all, he had to be here somewhere, and maybe in a little while he could ask one of the guards if he could speak to the prince. After things calmed down. Right.

Tadashi was nearly knocked over as a man came running up to Yachi. He was not much taller than she was and had streaks of blond shooting through his dark, gravity-defying hair. He grabbed Yachi's hand and asked if she'd like to dance. 

"Um, sure?" she said, hesitantly, but he had pulled her towards the dancefloor almost before she had finished speaking. 

Another man ran up seconds later, watching Yachi be whirled around by her current partner. "Aw, no fair." He turned to Tadashi, almost accusingly, and said, "Well, you'll just have to dance with me then!" And before Tadashi could protest, he was being yanked into a dance.

This was nothing like the forest dancing. While that had not been particularly graceful (on his part), it was at least predictable: he kind of knew what he was doing. With this guy, he felt more like he was doing battle than participating in a consensual dance. His partner wasn't unattractive, with his sharp features and his very short hair, and he was obviously very physically fit, but… he was very enthusiastic. His movements were fast and wildly executed, and Tadashi felt like if he moved the wrong way, he might be knocked unconscious by a swinging elbow or something. 

Winded and relieved, he extricated himself when the song ended, quickly putting some distance between himself and his exuberant dance partner, in case he was grabbed again. He had lost Yachi completely, but she was just going to have to fend for herself. He thought it might be safe to get some snacks and loiter by the wallflowers. Maybe he could find Suga again. It would be nice to have a familiar face to hide behind. 

*

He wasn’t the only one looking for Suga. Daichi had stood guard during the wedding ceremony, but as soon as his replacement arrived, he had followed the noise to the ballroom. The guard part of him was a little on edge about the sheer number of people there, especially combined with how much drink was surely on offer… at least one fight was inevitable. The rest of Daichi was annoyed about the number of people because they were keeping him from finding Suga. In theory, he should be easy to find. He wasn’t that short, and his hair was a distinctive silvery colour. But the lighting from the chandeliers was reflecting off everything -- it seemed like half the guests were wearing jewels or had gold or silver sewn into their outfits -- and Daichi was having no success in finding his boyfriend. 

Huffing a little to himself, he decided to have a drink. Theoretically, it was easier to endure a bunch of drunk people when he was slightly tipsy himself, and he was rarely off duty during these fancy events. He did see a familiar face as he approached the drinks counter, but it wasn’t Suga. “Bokuto,” he calmly greeted, sidling up next to a man with white-grey hair and less extravagant clothes. 

Turning, Bokuto looked to see who had said his name, and his eyes lit up when they landed on Daichi. “Hey, hey, hey! Daichi! Good to see you, man!” He threw his arms around the captain and crushed him in a tight hug. Despite his white hair, he was no older than Daichi, and he was strong enough to lift Daichi off of the ground with his hug. He was also loudly exuberant, and it was impossible to tell if he had already been drinking or if it was just his personality. “Have you seen how many kegs of ale they have back there?” he asked.

“The royals go all out,” replied Daichi, eyeing the impressive stacks of barrels with a sense of foreboding. “It won’t take long to go through them, not with this many people.” 

“So long as they don’t run out before I get some!” Bokuto didn’t seem that worried about the prospect. They were quite close to the counter and would likely receive their drinks in a few minutes. 

Glancing around in confusion, Daichi asked, “Did Akaashi not come with you?”

“Nope! I brought…” Bokuto also looked around for a moment, then, apparently spotting his quarry, raised his arm and waved someone over. “This is Kuroo. He’s my other partner.”

A lanky man with dark disheveled hair leaned an elbow on Bokuto’s shoulder and smirked at Daichi. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh.” Daichi knew about Bokuto’s unorthodox relationship scenario, and while he didn’t understand it, it seemed to work for them. He hadn’t met anyone but Akaashi, though, and this Kuroo gave off a vastly different impression than calm, collected Akaashi. He was thrown off balance a little, and he searched for something to say. “Er, Suga will be disappointed. He always likes talking to Akaashi.” 

“Shouyou has the sniffles,” said Kuroo, shuffling forward with the crowd as they moved closer to the counter and their ales. “Keiji gets worried and wanted to stay home with him. And Kenma doesn’t like people.”

“Besides,” said Bokuto, throwing an arm around Kuroo and grinning at him. “It’s been ages since Tetsu and I’ve gone out drinking and carousing and… and… um.”

“More drinking?” suggested Kuroo.

“Yes!” exclaimed Bokuto, shaking Kuroo a little in his excitement.

“Hmm,” said Daichi. “Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago that you were telling me that you’re fully in domestic mode and a responsible father now and didn’t have time for partying anymore?”

Bokuto spluttered a minute while Kuroo snickered. “I--It’s-- I am responsible!” He protested. “It’s not like we brought Shouyou to the party, with… with… revelry and--and--and debauchery!”

Daichi took pity on him and patted his arm. “I’m just joking, Bo.” But Bokuto still looked a little broody as they stepped up to receive their drinks. “Suga always likes it when you bring Shouyou to visit. Next time, if he’s feeling better, you should bring him with you.”

“He’d like that,” said Kuroo. “Last time, I had to let him bandage up my whole arm like ‘Suga-sensei’ taught him.”

Laughing, Daichi said, “Sorry about that.” His laughter trailed off as he spotted Suga… and then died completely when he saw who was with him. “Ah, sorry. Excuse me,” he said, and he pushed his way through the crowd, leaving Kuroo and Bokuto behind. 

Suga was leaning casually against a pillar, holding a drink of his own, and looking soft and angelic in his pearl grey, embroidered dress tunic. Leaning next to him ( _and over him!_ ) was a tall slim man in a tailored suit of mint and grey, his light brown hair artfully swept back in perfect waves. The muted colours didn’t fool him; Daichi would recognize Prince Tooru Oikawa anywhere. And the last place he wanted to see him was near his dear boyfriend. 

Of course, he trusted Suga and didn’t really think Oikawa could seduce him, but the visiting prince had a rather sordid reputation lately. Daichi would just prefer to keep Suga (and himself) far away from that kind of drama. 

“Suga,” he called, when he got close enough. Stepping into his boyfriend’s space, Daichi gave him a short kiss before turning to warily observe the prince. “Your Grace,” he greeted, albeit rather flatly and not in a deferential manner. 

“Ah, it’s our _dear_ Captain Daichi,” said the prince, not at all bothered by his brusqueness. “I’ve been trying to convince lovely Suga here to keep me company and distract me from the _horridly boring_ politicians that always seem to find me. But alas! He has rather selfishly insisted on waiting for you…” The prince’s lips dropped into a carefully constructed, attractive pout. 

“I’m here now,” said Daichi, frowning at the pout. “So you can be on your way.” 

“Dai!” He got an elbow in his side from Suga. “Sorry, Tooru,” he said. “Stay here with us as long as you want.”

Prince Tooru sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. “No, no, darling, I know when I’m not wanted.” He swiftly grabbed Suga’s hand and bent over it, kissing his knuckles. “Always a pleasure, my dear friend.” His thumb rubbed over Suga’s bare third finger, and his gaze flicked up to Daichi. “Better put a ring on this finger, Captain, dear. If you won’t, I certainly will.” With a wink at Suga, he sauntered away and was seamlessly accepted into the crowd. 

“Daichi, are you growling?”

"No, I'm not," Daichi growled. 

Suga laughed and patted his cheek. "Unclench, my love." He pressed his drink into Daichi's hand so that he could wrap his arms around Daichi and nuzzle their cheeks together. "Daichi, I can hear you grinding your teeth. Why does Tooru bother you so much?"

Taking a rather large gulp of Suga's wine, he focused on relaxing his jaw before answering the question. The truth was that he didn't really know; he had plenty of experience in handling all kinds of people, belligerent and annoying and everything else. But no one quite set his teeth on edge as much as Tooru did. "I don't know," he said. "He provokes me." Daichi knocked back the rest of Suga's drink and set the empty glass on a nearby table. 

"Only because you respond to it," said Suga, watching with an amused expression. 

"Hmph. I don't wanna talk about him anymore," replied Daichi, and he clutched Suga close. "We're supposed to be enjoying this party together, right?" 

Suga let himself be manhandled. "I'm already enjoying this party." He kissed Daichi on the wrinkle between his eyes and then smoothed it with his thumb. "I'd enjoy it more if my wonderful, strong boyfriend would relax, though." 

"I'll try," said Daichi, looking slightly abashed. 

Suga kissed him. "Good. Now let's go dance."

*

Their drinks hadn’t lasted very long, but they decided to peruse the spread of small sandwiches and delicate cakes before rejoining the line for refills. “Look, Kou, they have apple tarts,” said Kuroo, settling three on his plate and wondering how many he could stash in his pack to take home to Kenma. “Kou?” Having received no response, he turned to find his boyfriend staring moodily into a tureen of some creamy orange fluff, poking it with the serving spoon but not actually serving himself any of it. 

Kuroo sighed. “Come on, Kou,” he said, taking the spoon and returning it to the fluff. He pulled Koutarou along after him, picking up a few sweets and loading Kou’s plate with sandwiches as they followed the queue of people. By the time they had found a chaise longue and got settled on it, Kou still hadn’t come out of his funk. Kuroo made sure he was eating and just left him to it while they ate. But when their plates were empty and Kou made no sign of returning to his cheerful self, Kuroo threw an arm around him and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to Kou’s forehead. “Don’t worry about it, Kou,” he murmured. “That guard guy was trying to make a joke. We all know you’re a good father. No one can say you’re not.”

Bokuto nuzzled his face into Kuroo’s neck, muffling his response. “I know, but… what if they need me, and I’m not there? What if Shouyou gets worse? I’ve always been there when he’s sick.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. Besides, if he does get sicker, Keiji is the best person to be there with him, right? He’ll take care of our baby. And we’ll be home tomorrow night.”

A strangled gurgling noise was the only response from Bokuto. Sighing, Kuroo dug around in a pocket and pulled out a round metal case; it had subtle geometric designs etched into the top, and the whole thing was small enough to fit in Kuroo’s palm. “Find somewhere quiet and check in with Kenma,” he said, handing the case to Koutarou. “You remember how to use it?”

Raising his head, Bokuto nodded, looking somewhat sheepish. “I can’t help it,” he said. 

“I know you can’t.” Kuroo smoothed his boyfriend’s hair and kissed him gently. “You’ll feel better after checking on them, I think. I’ll wait here for you.” He ran a hand through his hair as Bokuto wandered off to call Kenma, but a moment later, he stood and called after him: "And don't stand behind a tapestry, that'll look creepy!" 

As he turned back to the seat, he found himself face to face with a familiar face. "Oho, if it isn't our little princykins," he said, smirking at Kei. 

Kei's lip curled in disdain. "God, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked. 

"I was invited!" 

"Hmm, I was in charge of the invitations, and I'm almost certain that you were not on the list," pointed out Kei. He was not in the best of moods, as he was becoming more and more sure that Tadashi hadn't come. On top of that, he hated parties, and his mother had just kicked him off of the dais and told him to find a dance partner. He would literally rather eat his own eyeballs than dance with Kuroo, and he only felt marginally better about dancing with some of these other guests. 

"I was a _guest_ ," replied Kuroo. "You know, with a date."

Great. So, that meant Kenma was there? That would make Kei's mood _so_ much better for _sure_. Though, now that he thought about it, he was pretty sure he would have noticed inviting Kenma, as well. Were they crashing? Typical. Maybe it wasn't the worst thing. Maybe Kenma could tell him for sure why Tadashi didn't want to come. Then he could have some closure. He sighed. 

"Awww, whatsa matter, Prince?" asked Kuroo. "Where's your little plant witch?"

“It’s--” None of his business. Kei started to snap out the retort, but he paused, considering. As much as Kuroo was flippant and irritating, he did know some of the pertinent facts. And Kei hadn’t told anyone else about what had happened while he was off with Tadashi. He was somewhat private by nature, and he hadn’t been sure enough about their relationship to tell anyone. They had said ‘no promises’, right? And then Kei had promised to come back… and hadn’t fulfilled that promise yet. He wasn’t sure Tadashi wanted him to come back now. It was very muddled in his head, and he needed to talk to _someone_. Kuroo might be the best option. And what that said about Kei’s life currently, he didn’t care to dwell on.

“I haven’t seen him since we parted ways,” admitted Kei, grudgingly. 

“Ahhh,” said Kuroo, nodding seriously. “So would you say your plant romance is wilting, then?”

Kei shot him a glare, but Kuroo was too busy laughing at his own joke to get the full effect. “Forget it,” said Kei, and he started to walk off, but Kuroo clutched at his sleeve, pulling him to a halt. 

“Oh, come on, that was so good!” snickered Kuroo, resisting Kei’s attempt to yank his sleeve away. “All right, all right. So you’re having some trouble.”

Cheeks burning in humiliation, Kei nodded. 

“Why don’t you go see him?” asked Kuroo. 

It was a sensible question, and Kei had asked himself the same thing many times. “I’ve been stuck here, helping with the plans for all this,” said Kei, though he was aware that he could have put his foot down and just gone. Other people would have filled in and completed his duties adequately. He was scared, to tell the truth. The time he had spent with Tadashi in the forest had started to feel like a dream, and he was afraid that he had built it up to be more than it was. He wanted to know for sure, but at the same time, he didn’t. 

"Well, you're obviously going to have to talk to him sometime," said Kuroo. "Unless you are just going to give up and move on." 

Kei didn't want that. It was difficult to admit that he cared so much about Tadashi and having a relationship with him, since he had spent the last several years trying to prove that he cared about nothing. But it would be even more difficult to just… let it go and not pursue it. He had missed Tadashi so much in the past few weeks. For the first time, he had something he really, really wanted. And it just figured that it was something that couldn't be bought, not even if he spent all the money in the treasury. Kei had plenty of material wealth, but he was absolutely destitute when it came to forming relationships. It had been much easier with Tadashi around; he had really done most of the work, and Kei let himself be swept along. Alone, he overthought everything and second-guessed himself into inaction. 

Kuroo was still talking, mostly to himself it seemed. "I know it's cliché, but communication really is critical in maintaining a relationship. Where would Kenma and I be without honesty?" He blathered on for a few more minutes, but Kei wasn't listening.

Communication would be ideal, he thought bitterly. He _wanted_ to talk to Tadashi. He had invited him here, after all. That was him making the first move. Wasn't it up to Tadashi to respond after that? Unless… his lack of response was his response. Oh, he wished Tadashi had just come here tonight. 

He was shocked out of his brooding introspection when a burly, white-haired man came up behind Kuroo and draped himself over Kuroo's shoulders. That could possibly be explained, but then Kuroo turned his face and full on kissed the other man. Kei couldn't say he liked Kenma, particularly, but he felt a surge of fury on his behalf. What did Kuroo think he was playing at? If he was going to cheat on his boyfriend, he could at least have the decency to do it somewhere private, not in the middle of the bloody reception of a royal wedding! He glared at the two men. 

"Thanks, Tetsu, I feel a lot better," the newcomer was saying. 

"I knew you would," replied Kuroo. 

"I'm sorry," said Kei, coldly, extending a hand to the stranger. "I don't think we've met. Unless you're Kenma, doing another shapeshifting trick." His tone was savage, but it had no effect except to induce confusion in the stranger and laughter in Kuroo. 

"Um, I'm Bokuto," said the other man, stepping around Kuroo to shake Kei's hand in a crushing grip. "How do you know Kenma?" 

"Do _you_ know Kenma?" demanded Kei. 

"Um, yeah?" Bokuto was looking more and more confused, shooting pleading glances at Kuroo, who was no help whatsoever. "Who are you?"

Kei was spluttering in indignation, and Kuroo finally interjected before he could explode. "This is the prince," he told Bokuto, wiping at his eyes. He was still half laughing. "Not the one who just got married, the other one. He's trying to get with that plant friend of Kenma's."

"Oh, yeah!" Bokuto beamed, as if that cleared everything up. "Good luck. He seems very nice. Kenma and Keiji both have good things to say about him." 

"What?" asked Kei, thoroughly confused by this very unexpected interaction. "You-- _what?_ ”

"Bokuto is my boyfriend," said Kuroo casually. "Kenma is also my boyfriend. Bokuto is also Kenma's boyfriend. And we have a fourth boyfriend named Keiji." He acted as if this explained everything, when in reality it just brought up more questions, in Kei's opinion. Turning to Bokuto, Kuroo smirked. "He thought I was cheating on Kenma with you." 

"Aww, don't feel bad, man," said Bokuto, who was clearly the nice one. "You're not the first to think that. People don't get it, but it works for us." He patted Kei's shoulder kindly. "Just goes to show that true love can overcome anything, even societal conventions."

"Hmm," said Kuroo, ever playing the devil to Bokuto's angelic sweetness. "And to think, the only thing standing in your way is yourself. How tragic that you can't even get one boyfriend," he smirked. "And I have three." 

"I honestly can't see how," replied Kei, drily. 

"Actually I think you _did_ see how," said Kuroo with the biggest grin. 

"Oh my God," said Kei, "I'm going to find anyone else to talk to now." 

He was mostly focused on getting as far away from Kuroo as possible, and he didn't pay a whole lot of attention to where he was headed, so he found himself approaching the area of comfortable chairs and cushioned couches where weary dancers could rest. He sank into a richly upholstered wingback chair and pressed his fingers into his eyes. This was why he hated social events like this. Even talking to the people he knew turned out to be exhausting. And he still had at least a couple of hours to endure before he could escape. 

A pressure against his calf and a yelp indicated that someone had just nearly tripped over him. He pulled his legs back against the base of the chair, and lifted his head to apologise, but he didn't get the words out.

"Sorry--oh, hello!"

"Yachi?" he asked, recognizing the bubbly petite woman. He had only met her once, but he vividly remembered her, because he had thought she was Tadashi's wife or girlfriend. He hated her a lot less now that he knew they were only friends. Wait--did that mean--??

"Is Tadashi here?" he asked, standing abruptly and towering over her. 

"Of course," she said, smiling happily at him. He had been agonizing over this, and she just chirped out 'of course' like it was a given, like he was crazy for doubting that Tadashi would show up. Maybe he was. 

"Where is he?" he demanded, gripping her shoulder. "I haven't seen him! Where is he?"

"I don't know," she replied, looking warily up at him. "We got separated while dancing." She settled her small hand over his, and he felt a warmth sinking into his skin. He also suddenly felt a lot calmer.

"Are you magicking me?" he asked. 

"Just a little." She smiled up at him again. "You don't have to be so worked up. Just go find Tadashi." Her smile turned a tiny bit mischievous. "I've heard you're quite a dancer."

Before he could question her about what _exactly_ she heard, she was gently shoving him into the sea of dancers. 

Huh. It was strange to be walking through a crowd of people, many of them familiar faces looking up and greeting him, and not feel anxious. Whatever calm Yachi had put on him, it was still working, and he eased through the tide in a dreamlike state. His eyes moved over the features of the people he passed, dismissing them without comment and moving on, searching for Tadashi. And then… he saw him. The floating feeling of calm narrowed to a pinpoint, focusing on Tadashi, on the fact that he was _here_ , and that in just a moment, he could be in Kei's arms.

He was currently dancing with a lady, looking polite but not especially interested. His fingers were barely touching her, almost hovering to avoid contact with her expensive-looking gown. Kei didn't linger on the woman; he couldn't care less who she was, just that she was an obstacle to Tadashi. He approached slowly, in what he hoped was a dignified manner. 

Tadashi looked up when Kei was a few steps away, and the couple stopped dancing, his partner gasping excitedly at the approach of the prince. His eyes were locked on Tadashi's face, and their gazes met and held as though drawn together by some kind of magical force. "May I cut in?" asked Kei, politely. 

The woman clearly thought he was aiming to dance with _her_ , perhaps not noticing that he only had eyes for Tadashi, and exclaimed, "Absolutely!" 

Tadashi simply nodded slightly. 

The moment he was released from his partner, Kei pulled him into his arms and whisked him back into the sea of dancers. For a few minutes, they only stared at each other. 

For the first time all evening, Kei could feel himself relax. Tadashi was here. He was here and in his arms and absolutely beautiful… and everything was right now. They weren't particularly close, no closer than any other dancers, and they were surrounded by people, but his body remembered the way they had danced before… it felt intimate. It felt like they were alone, like they were the only people in the world. It was so natural to move with Tadashi like this, not a bit of the awkwardness he felt with other partners. 

So far, they had danced in silence. Kei was absorbed in looking at Tadashi. He had been a little bit worried that he had built up Tadashi in his mind, that he remembered him looking more beautiful than he was, or something. But he realized that would be impossible. If anything, he had forgotten the gentle grace in Tadashi's movements, the sweetness of his hesitant smile… and… "You wore your freckles," Kei observed, breaking the stillness between them. That didn't make sense entirely, but Tadashi knew what he meant. 

"Oh, er--," Tadashi's face tilted down in embarrassment, his hair falling forward a bit. "You said you liked them."

"I do," said Kei. "They're beautiful." He pulled Tadashi a little bit closer, and leaned in to murmur in his ear. " _You're_ beautiful." Whether consciously or not, he had steered them into a more secluded area of the dancefloor. Their formal dance posture relaxed into a more intimate embrace, Tadashi's hands slowly moving up Kei's back. 

"Did you mean it?" asked Tadashi softly, his cheek resting against Kei's shoulder. "What you wrote? That you missed me?" 

Kei nodded. "Yeah. A lot." He wasn't sure how to convey just exactly how much he had noticed Tadashi's absence, how lonely for him he had been. Despite being so busy with the wedding and all the little tasks that needed to be completed, he still had plenty of time to think about Tadashi. He felt like there was an empty space next to him, a Tadashi-less space, and several times he had found himself turning to ask Tadashi something, only to be disappointed. They may have only known each other a short time, but Kei knew that Tadashi was someone special. And not just for his magic. 

"I was worried," he admitted. "Worried you wouldn't come. That you… decided it wasn't worth the trouble." That _he_ wasn't worth the trouble. 

"Why wouldn't it be worth it?" asked Tadashi, pulling back a little to look up into his face. "I got to see you, didn't I?" His smile formed crinkles around his dark eyes, and Kei found himself smiling back. 

"Still," he said, resting his forehead against Tadashi's for a moment. "I'm glad you came. Shall we dance a little longer?" he asked. He had been tasked with finding someone to dance with, after all, and there had been no specifications as to who it should be, so he intended to keep Tadashi all to himself for the rest of the night. "Though, I hope that in a little while… maybe we can slip away to somewhere quieter. If you like?" He was hesitant in his proposition. He wasn't sure what Tadashi had in mind. Did he want to just pick up where they had left off? Had he been having second thoughts? Just because he showed up to the Royal Wedding and danced with the younger prince didn't mean he was interested in pursuing anything. He stole a glance at Tadashi's face, trying to gauge his reaction. 

Tadashi was blushing, a deep pink spreading across his freckled cheeks. "I think that would be nice," he said. "Um, in a little while."

Kei took Tadashi by the arm and led him back to the throng of dancing couples. However, before he could assume the position again, he heard a familiar voice. It had a distinct edge to it that he knew would only mean trouble. He sighed. As always, duty came before pleasure. Ignoring Tadashi's questioning look, he dragged the witch over towards a cluster of fawning young women and men. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked one of the young women.

"We can sit down, if you need to," suggested another one.

"I saw a very cozy loveseat we could share," offered a blushing young man. 

"No, I assure you, I'm fine," replied the familiar voice. Kei could see him now: his cousin Tooru. Despite his pleasant smile and the words he spoke, Kei and Akiteru had grown up with him, and Kei could hear the strain. It was just like him, the idiot. He'd push himself too far in order to not look weak. 

Kei pulled Tadashi through the ring of admirers and into Tooru's vision. Kei put on his ‘bored prince’ voice: snide and flat and absolutely not to be trifled with. "I wondered what all the commotion was about over here. Of course it's you," said Kei, looking Tooru up and down. He doubted the idiot was even wearing a brace under his trousers, despite the fact that it had been less than six months since his accident. "What, are you trying to show up the bride?"

Tooru grinned at him, a genuine grin. "I didn't ask to be the center of attention, Kei-chan. Perhaps if the bride wants to be the lady of the hour, she should talk to her guests instead of gazing all moony-eyed at her husband."

Kei snorted. He would never use the phrase 'moony-eyed' about Saeko. He still wasn’t particularly fond of her, but he had to admit that she was sharp and would probably be an excellent ruler. He wasn’t about to debate the point right now, though; this wasn’t a friendly chat. It was a rescue mission. "Aki will be mad if you don't greet them properly," he said. That was not true. Aki was probably the one who was mooning and not paying any attention to any guests. But it was an out for Tooru to take, if he wanted a rest. "We're going up there now." Hopefully Tadashi was all right with the change in plans. He squeezed the witch's hand in apology.

Tooru sighed dramatically and tossed a dazzling smile towards his posse of devotees. "Ah, well, I suppose I should go spend time with the family… don't miss me too much, darlings." 

Kei rolled his eyes and walked off, still pulling Tadashi and just assuming that Tooru was following. They made their way up to the royal dais, past some watchful guards, to where some of the family was sitting in comfortable chairs and cushioned benches clustered around small tables. The guards were letting select guests pay their respects to the family, a few at a time, and the King and Queen were in engaged in pleasant discussion with some of the recognizable nobles of the kingdom. Since Tadashi was being firmly towed by Kei, the guards didn't give him any trouble. 

The bride and groom were at a small table in the center, and Kei dragged a chair over to join them, coaxing a dazed-looking Tadashi into it, and then dropped onto the bench next to his brother.

"Who's this Kei-chan?" asked Tooru, in his most sickeningly sweet voice. He was leaning over Tadashi, his eyes critically taking in his features. "He's adorable." 

"Sit down before you fall down, Tooru," retorted Kei. He nudged Akiteru with his elbow. "This is Tadashi Yamaguchi." 

Akiteru's eyes widened and he turned fully, facing Tadashi. "Oh, Tadashi!" He reached across the table and took one of the witch's hands and shook it happily. "I've heard so much about you!"

"Aki!" hissed Kei. What ' _so much_ '? Kei hadn't told him _so much_ about Tadashi, had he? 

"Er..." Tadashi looked at Kei uncertainly. He seemed a little overwhelmed by the concentrated royal attention. His cheeks were flushed in nervous embarrassment. 

"I understand you were the one responsible for helping me recover," continued Akiteru, ignoring Kei. "Honestly, I can't thank you enough. You've done a great favor for this family. I mean, if I do say so myself. We probably wouldn't be having this wedding right now without you. Right?" He turned to his new wife, who was whispering with Tooru. "Saeko, this is the witch." 

"Oh, Kei's witch?" she asked, looking over at him. 

Kei had never hated her more than this particular moment, and if looks could kill, his brother would have had the shortest marriage in history. 

"--glad you came," she was saying, wrapping her arm around Akiteru's in a cozy side-cuddle. "If there's anything we can do for you, ever, just let us know. We're very much in your debt." 

Tadashi was stuttering adorably in his attempt to protest that he didn’t need anything, that he was happy to do it, etc. Kei found himself smiling fondly at him. The moment was broken, though, because some people just couldn’t leave things alone.

"I think Kei owes you more," commented Tooru, lounging back in a chair. "Can you imagine if Aki had died and he had to be the heir?" He looked at Tadashi intently for a long moment. "I'm sure he's willing to work off that debt." He winked and ignored Kei's spluttering. "And if not, you can come sit by me, sweetheart."

Never one to endure uncomfortable situations, Kei couldn’t stand it anymore. He hadn’t invited Tadashi here so that his brother and sister-in-law could fawn over him, and certainly not so Tooru could flirt with him. Despite Kei’s protests to the contrary, Tadashi was _his_. At least, he would like the chance to make him his, and that wasn’t going to happen with Tooru around, that much was clear. And after he had given him a chance to rest his stupid knee! The ungrateful bastard… Standing abruptly, he announced, "Well, that's about enough of that. I'm going to check on some things. And I'll take Tadashi with me." He gave Tooru a dark look. "I don't think I should leave him here among the wolves."

As Kei and Tadashi left the ballroom, Tooru huffed and turned back to Saeko. "What's with him?"

"Not everyone likes to flaunt their affairs in public," said Saeko, raising an eyebrow. Tooru was a frequent subject of gossip, and it was common knowledge that his conduct had become much more scandalous since his accident. He was the talk of the town, not to mention the kingdom and many neighbouring kingdoms. Everyone claimed to love him, but they mostly loved to hear about him, especially if it was something juicy.

Tooru gasped. "You wound me, Sae-chan! Careful, Aki. Her barbed tongue could seriously disrupt your honeymoon."

As if to disprove his comment, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm practically the lady of the estate now," she said. "Mind your manners."

Clapping a hand over his mouth, Tooru drew an x in the air over his chest. 

Akiteru rolled his eyes. "How long are you staying with us?" he asked. 

Tooru lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "A few days, probably. Depends on how entertained I find myself. I have to be in the southern provinces next week for some extremely boring meetings. And then..." He shrugged again. His jovial, teasing tone had melted into something more serious. “I’m sure Father will think of something.”

Grimacing slightly, Akiteru said, “Well, you’re always welcome here, you know.”

“I know.” Tooru’s eyes were dark, expressionless. There were unspoken things lingering in the air, but they remained unspoken as the three young royals were joined by a man. It was strange to see Tooru shift so rapidly from utterly serious back to frivolity, and anyone who didn’t know him well would have questioned if there had ever been a different mood. 

“Congratulations, Your Graces,” said the newcomer, bowing low and peeking up through his golden fringe to give them a cheeky grin. 

“Who invited you?” asked Saeko, lounging back in her seat. 

“Ah, Your Ladyship,” gasped the man, dramatically placing a hand at his forehead. “How can you have forgotten your childhood friends?” His tone was light and overly nostalgic. “Wasn’t it just yesterday that you were swimming naked in our pond?” 

“If you recall the facts of the matter, Yuuji,” replied Saeko sharply, “you’ll remember that it wasn’t yesterday. I was three years old.” Turning to her husband, she introduced her old friend. “Allow me to present Yuuji Terushima, a minor duke and a major pain in the ass. I think you’ve met Tooru Oikawa?” she asked him. 

“Yes, indeed,” said Tooru, a sparkling grin back on his face. “How _could_ I forget that piercing you showed me?”

Yuuji’s face lit up, possibly sensing that there was a good time to be had, and he wiggled his eyebrows at Tooru. “Well, if you think that was impressive, I simply must show you my new tattoo!”

Saeko rolled her eyes, and Akiteru had the expression of someone watching a horrible catastrophe but unable to look away. “Yes, you two go keep each other company and get out of these chairs,” commanded Saeko, waving her hand at the two smirking men. “You’re not our only guests, you know.”

*

Things were happening awfully quickly, and Tadashi was struggling to keep up with the whirlwind of events. One moment, they were dancing, and Tadashi was being held so tenderly and gently, like he was more valuable than any jewel in the palace; then, he was abruptly being introduced to some of the rest of the royal family and stuttering like a fool, but before he could even gather his wits enough to be embarrassed about that, Kei had dragged him out into a dark hallway and was rapidly leading him somewhere unknown. It was rather flummoxing. And he was slightly afraid that Kei was upset by the interactions with his family, but he wasn’t sure what he could do to help. Or if he should do anything. 

Kei’s grip on his wrist wasn’t crushing, but he was being firmly led. Kei hadn’t said anything to him since they left his family, so Tadashi didn’t know if he was actually bringing him along on a task, or if he was just escaping. He supposed it was a good sign that Kei was still towing him, wherever they were going, but nervousness was starting to bubble up in him again. There was no reason for it; he trusted Kei completely and knew he wouldn’t be luring him somewhere dangerous. But the situation was so out of Tadashi’s control that he couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive. 

After a few moments and a (seemingly) very long stretch of stone corridor, Kei pulled up short in front of a heavy wooden door. He paused long enough to pull it open, and then he and Tadashi were enveloped in the warmth and bustle of the castle kitchens. 

Tadashi’s stomach rumbled a little as he took in the sights and smells of the platters of sandwiches and sweets being constructed by a busy staff of servants. There were multiple big ovens and cooking stoves, and each one seemed to be at capacity: big cauldrons of stews, cooking meat, fresh baked loaves of bread, pies and tarts--Tadashi could barely take it all in. 

Kei wove his way through the counters and tables, occasionally greeting one of the cooks or staff, and Tadashi dutifully followed, only half paying attention to Kei. His eyes were wide as he stared around himself in awe. He had never seen such a large scale food operation. It was amazing. 

“Tadashi.”

Starting at the sound of his name, he looked around and found Kei holding open another door off to the side of the busy space. He hastily made his way over to join the prince and entered the little anteroom before him. As Kei shut the door behind them, Tadashi saw that it was some kind of storeroom, lined with shelves, and there was a big table in the middle of it. Small lamps near the door illuminated the space, but the two men were alone.

Realizing this, Tadashi turned back to Kei, who was slowly coming closer. A shiver of nerves ran through him, and he leaned back against the table. Kei’s eyes looked like flames in the low light, and they were intently locked on him. “Is this all right?” asked Kei, stopping a few inches from Tadashi. 

He was close, leaning into Tadashi’s space. Tadashi could feel the heat of him, could smell the fragrant hair oil he had used, could hear the slow, measured breaths. Something clenched in his stomach. “Yes.”

Kei kissed him then. Slowly at first, as though trying to remember where they had left off before, but more and more urgently. Tadashi loved the taste of him, and how they felt pressed together. Kei’s mouth was hot against his, and his hands were firm, gripping Tadashi’s waist and thigh. Tadashi’s ragged breath sounded loud in the quiet room as Kei mouthed along his jaw and down his neck. His own hands were clutching whatever piece of fine cloth he could reach, trying to pull Kei impossibly closer. “Kei, please,” he begged, not knowing precisely what he was asking for--anything Kei wanted to give him would be perfect, he was sure.

“God, Tadashi,” mumbled Kei, half moaning. He lifted Tadashi slightly, so that he was sitting on the table, his legs dangling, and he moved in between them. “I missed you so much. I want you… so badly…” Kei kissed him hard, demanding and thorough.

Somewhat breathless, Tadashi let himself be lowered down until he was lying back on the hard wooden surface, with Kei over him and against him. Kei’s words were running around his dizzy head, and he could feel the truth of them. Kei wanted him. Kei, the prince of this kingdom, who could have anyone in the world, wanted Tadashi. It was a heady, surreal feeling, and he wouldn’t have trusted it if he couldn’t feel the very physical proof of his desire pressed against his hip. He moaned against Kei’s mouth, surrendering to his own body’s need for more, _more_. 

Within seconds, Kei had Tadashi’s secondhand dress tunic half unbuttoned, his linen undershirt pulled to the side, and his tongue mapping the hollows of his collarbones. Tadashi’s hands were in his hair, holding him close, urging him to keep going, and he laved his tongue over every inch of skin he could reach. As such, Kei was not in a position to notice the door opening behind him. 

He only stopped and looked up when he heard the echoing gasps--one from the door, and one from Tadashi, his body going rigid with tension beneath Kei’s hands and mouth. Annoyed, he stood and turned to the door, ready to tell off whoever had disturbed them… but his irritation quelled somewhat as he saw the expression of the royal baker. 

The man looked concerned, which was not unusual, but at the moment, he seemed about ten seconds away from bursting into tears, and Kei did not want to be responsible for that. Besides, he kind of liked the baker. He was a big man and looked extremely imposing at first, but he had a soft heart and made the most delicate concoctions. Yelling at him would be like kicking a puppy.

“Um…” he was saying, wringing the hem of his apron in his hands. “Er…”

“Yes?” prompted Kei.

“Er… I came to check on the wedding cake,” the baker said, shakily pointing to a large shape on the opposite end of the table. Kei hadn’t even noticed it. Though, really, he had no idea how he was supposed to tell that a cake was in there; it just looked like a large piece of fabric draped over four tall posts. 

Tadashi was staring at it in horror. 

“Oh,” said Kei, not sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. It hadn’t been covered in his etiquette and manners classes. “Um…” He turned back to the baker, struggling to find some kind of explanation, other than the obvious. But it seemed like the baker had gotten the picture, anyway.

“Please don’t have sex in the kitchen,” he blurted out. “It’s extremely unhygienic.”

“We weren’t!” exclaimed Tadashi, wiggling his way down off of the table and frantically trying to fix his clothes. “I’m sorry, I swear we weren’t!”

Hmph. Kei thought that was debatable, but it was probably for the best. Tadashi looked almost as wild-eyed and alarmed as the baker, and he could feel his own cheeks flushing. He had enjoyed kissing Tadashi and wanted to keep going (and maybe _more_ ), but it was probably best to wait until they had more privacy. Like in his rooms. It wasn’t like he knew what he was doing, anyway. Oh, God, this was terrible. 

“Sorry, Asahi. We’re going.” He took Tadashi’s arm and pulled him toward the door. “It won’t happen again.”

Asahi, his fingers now completely knotted in the fabric of his apron, didn’t meet his eyes as they passed him. 

The prince quickly exited the kitchens, only pausing when they were out in the empty, dark corridor. He took a deep breath and let go of Tadashi to press his hot face against the cool stone of the walls. “Are you okay?” he asked, after a moment. Turning, he saw that Tadashi had sunk into a crouch, his hands covering his face. Ah. Clearly not. 

Kei slowly dropped down to join Tadashi. He tentatively placed a hand on Tadashi’s shaking shoulder, unsure if his touch would be comforting or if it would make things worse. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have jumped you like that. I… I should have had more self-control--” He broke off abruptly.

Tadashi was laughing.

“Hey,” he said, somewhat petulantly, bumping his shoulder against Tadashi’s. “It’s not that funny.”

“No,” agreed Tadashi, still laughing. “It’s horrifying. Did you see his face?” His own face was flushed and blotchy from his embarrassment and the tears squeezing out of his eyes. “And the cake! Oh, god, the cake!” His voice cracked. “What if I had sat on it??”

Kei smiled, bringing his hand up to cup the side of Tadashi’s face. “No one could prove it was you. I’d smuggle you out of there and bribe Asahi to keep his mouth shut.”

Tadashi’s hysteria was subsiding slightly, and he leaned into Kei’s cool palm. “It’d be like Cinderella,” he said, hiccuping a laugh. “Except opposite. Trying to find a fugitive instead of a hidden princess.”

“I assure you I have no intention of traveling through the kingdom trying to match someone’s butt to a squashed cake,” said Kei, drily. He pressed a chaste kiss to Tadashi’s forehead and fished out his handkerchief so that Tadashi could dry his cheeks. He moved his hands down to rest on Tadashi’s shoulders, not entirely willing to give up the contact just yet. Kei looked away, feeling his face flushing again. “Sorry,” he repeated. “I… I just wanted a little bit of time alone with you. I didn’t mean to just… jump on you. But, er… I did miss you, and it’s _different_ now,” he lamented. “All these people everywhere, and Aki, and my parents, and… and… _Tooru_ , and it was easier when it was just the two of us.”

Tadashi’s voice was quiet and timid, and Kei finally looked at him again. “Is it too hard?”

Kei could feel his chest clench at the look in Tadashi’s eyes, and he couldn’t bear the implied suggestion that perhaps they should stop now, but he forced himself to think for a minute before answering. He didn’t want to rush in and blurt out an emotional response and end up hurting Tadashi, if it was a promise he couldn’t keep. He was already on shaky ground regarding promises, as he still hadn’t been back to Tadashi’s cottage like he’d said. 

“I don’t think it’s _hard_ ,” he said, after a minute. “Just different. When it was the two of us alone, I felt more at ease, like I didn’t have to worry about anyone’s opinions or what they might say. Not that I’m worried about people disapproving,” he added hastily. “And if they try to say you’re not… er… a worthy match, or whatever, I’ll tell them where they can shove their opinions!” He wouldn’t be cowed by any snobby attempts to convince him that he was too good for Tadashi, because he knew for sure that wasn’t true. But… he was sure there would be at least a few people who would try it, and he wasn’t eager to confront that reality. 

“I’m not good with people,” he murmured, with a rueful half smile. “But I’ve never had much of a private life for anyone to gossip about or to ask me about… until now. I want to keep you to myself, but there’s not much chance of that, in my position, and I know I can’t hide you away forever--and I don’t even _really_ want to, because that wouldn’t be fair to you--but…” He was struggling to articulate what he was feeling. It didn’t make sense even to him, so he was sure it sounded like babbling to Tadashi. “It’s just going to be a Great Big Deal, and I wish it wouldn’t be,” he said lamely. 

Tadashi’s fingers were smoothing through his blond curls. “I don’t think we can prevent that,” he said, his tone mild and gentle. “I’m almost definitely not ready for that, either, but I kind of expected it. You know, courting a prince, and all that. Um,” he paused a moment, looking kind of embarrassed. “ _Are_ we courting?”

“Yes,” said Kei, immediately. “If you want to, that is. I don’t want anyone else. But it’s not going to be easy,” he added, feeling it only fair to warn Tadashi. “I grew up with all this and have some protection, being of the Royal Family, but you’re just going to be thrown into it if you let me court you, and while we can protect you from any… harassment in the castle, you do still have your own career outside, and word will spread fast.”

Tadashi bit his lip. “I have my own protection,” he said. Witches protected their own kind, and he wasn’t worried about anyone bothering him, other than the inevitable suggestive comments from the little old ladies he visited. “But I can’t give up my career, you know,” he said firmly. He wanted to be clear about that, in case Kei was about to suggest it would be easier if he just moved into the castle and out of public sight. “People depend on me, and I have obligations.”

“I’m not asking you to give it up,” said Kei hastily. “I wouldn’t.”

“However,” continued Tadashi, still determined to set up some ground rules. “I can’t just go for weeks without seeing you, not if we’re really going to do this.”

“Right,” agreed Kei, his expression guilty. “I… Well, there’s no excuse for it,” he said, rubbing at his eyebrow in his embarrassment. “I was busy here, but really I was worried that maybe you weren’t as interested as I was and if I came to visit… you wouldn’t want to see me.”

Tadashi’s smile was blinding in its openness. “I thought you didn’t come because you had changed _your_ mind!”

Kei smiled back. “We are really not good at this.”

“‘We’re learning,” pointed out Tadashi. “Now you know that I do want you to come see me when you can.”

“And I’ll figure something out so that you can come and go around the castle,” promised Kei. “Actually, I’ve already been thinking about that, but I have to check on some things first.” 

“So… we’re really doing this?” asked Tadashi, looking into his eyes. 

Kei nodded, throat suddenly tight as he felt the weight of their conversation. It was agreed, and there was no doubt between them. They were courting now. Tadashi wanted to be with him. 

“What is it?” asked Tadashi, stroking Kei’s cheek with his thumb. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

Shaking his head, Kei cleared his throat so he could speak. “It’s happiness. Relief. I’m glad we talked about things.”

“You can always talk to me.”

Kei smiled and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Tadashi’s for a moment, just feeling his calming presence. “We should probably go back,” he said reluctantly. “They’ll be looking for me.” His mother, most likely, with opinions about who his next dancing partner should be. He sighed. “You’re welcome to stay with me--with us-- um, I mean, it’ll probably be boring, though, so if you want to go dance…” He trailed off, feeling very awkward again. 

Tadashi cupped his hands around Kei’s face and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. “Let’s see how it goes.”

*

“I’m bored of this,” said Ryuu. He sat slumped over his knees, his face propped up on his palm. His other arm was stretched out to Noya, who had shoved up his jacket and shirt sleeves and was counting the marks on his inner arm. 

“But we’re tied,” protested Noya, holding up his own arm for comparison. 

Ryuu shrugged laconically. The two young men had staged a contest to relieve the monotony of the dance: which of them could get more dance partners? For each dance, they had marked their arms with a stolen kohl stick, not paying any mind to the way their sleeves were dirtied in the process. Now, after a frenzy of dancing, they were taking a breather and comparing numbers. 

“Well, now what do you wanna do?” asked Noya, completely willing to give up on their contest, despite the fact that a few moments ago, he would have done anything to win. He and Ryuu were constant companions, and they often had these frivolous contests, but every once in a while, Ryuu got introspective, and Noya had learned not to push him. He found it better to wait and amuse himself, rather than poke and prod at Ryuu until he snapped. They both had hot tempers, but they rarely got really angry with each other. It wasn’t pretty when it happened. Fortunately, time and experience had taught them how to handle each other. 

Sighing, Ryuu shrugged again. “Nothing that we’d be allowed to do,” he answered. At Noya’s raised eyebrows, he clarified, “I’d like to go outside or something, but Mum would kill us if we left.” 

Noya suppressed a shudder. He loved his pseudo-adoptive family, but they were a wild bunch, and Lady Tanaka could be formidable (i.e. terror-inducing) in the keeping of order in her clan. “Well, what then? You wanna… just… hang out with Saeko?” he asked, unenthusiastically. 

“Nah, she’s being all posh and boring right now,” replied Ryuu, glancing up to where his sister sat with the royals and important guests. “No fun there.”

Sighing, Noya slumped back against the sofa. He was not good at sitting still, and his leg was jumping with brimming energy. He scanned the crowd, looking for any source of entertainment. Even if Ryuu was tired of dancing, he could go on by himself. There were quite a few people standing around shyly, waiting to be approached for a dance. But… it was less fun without his best friend.

Noya hadn’t been born to this crowd, and while he could be on his best behaviour like the best of them (thanks to Lady Tanaka), he didn’t actually know many of these people. Most of them looked familiar, but he and Ryuu had always been together, so they hadn’t needed to make any other friends. If Ryuu didn’t feel like being social, and Saeko was busy, he really didn’t know anyone well enough to fulfill his need for a good time. He wasn’t shy by any means, but at an event like this, it was likely that he’d have to be tiresomely polite and abide by the tedious rules of social etiquette for a good long while before he could actually relax and enjoy himself with a stranger.

He was still looking when Ryuu clapped him on the shoulder and mentioned grabbing a couple of drinks. Noya hummed in assent but made no move to follow. There was entertainment potential unfolding in front of him. A man, who he recognized as one of the castle guards, was trying to talk to one of the guests and seemed to be in imminent danger of spontaneous combustion. The guest, an elegantly dressed young woman with long, silvery blonde hair, was a good four or five inches taller than he was, which would make her absurdly tall next to Noya. But he had to admit that she was really, very pretty, and would probably be worth the neck strain. 

The guard didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Noya wasn’t sure if he had approached her or not; he hadn’t been paying attention then. But the man was definitely not equipped to handle such prolonged conversation with a beautiful lady. It made Noya snort to himself. His previous encounters with this guard had been loud, as he seemed to be somewhat feral about fulfilling his duties and didn’t appreciate Noya or Ryuu causing mischief. To see him so abashed and stuttery was really quite a transformation. The lady was being rather flirtatious, which was increasing his discomfort, and she was running her slender fingers along the string of pearls around her neck. 

Well, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do just yet, but Noya thought that he deserved a closer view of things. He was sauntering closer, a friendly smile on his face, when the string snapped. The lady stood in shock, unmoving as dozens of pearls scattered outward, bouncing and rolling into the crowd of dancers.

“My necklace,” she said softly, still frozen in place. Then, as Yuu watched, her eyes started to well with tears. 

The unfortunate guard frantically fished for his handkerchief and pushed it at her. “Surely it can be replaced?” She looked wealthy enough; and pearls were pretty common in their neighbouring kingdom by the seaside. 

“It was a gift,” she sobbed, delicately dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief.

“Don’t worry,” said Yuu, butting into the conversation and grinning at the lady. “I’ll help you find them.” He scooped up three immediately and dropped them in his pocket as he began his search. 

“Oi, get back here with those!” barked the guard. 

Yuu laughed over his shoulder, for once glad of his smaller stature as he darted between whirling skirts and dancing feet, picking up a pearl here and there. “Bet I find more than you do,” he challenged, with the guard growling behind him. 

Nimble and good at thinking on his feet, Yuu had half an eye out for pearls and the rest of him was gleefully planning his route through the crowd. He had spotted someone else he recognized and led his guard-slash-rival in that direction. He scooted by unnoticed, but the guard was bigger and not so graceful, which attracted the attention of many of the party guests. Including the captain of the guard, who did not seem pleased at one of his men causing a ruckus at this party.

“Taketora!” exclaimed Daichi, his voice firm with command.

The guard immediately stopped, posture completely at attention. “Yes, sir, sorry, sir,” he said, face burning with his embarrassment. 

“Daichiiii,” said Suga, pulling him back around. “You’re not on duty, remember?”

“Yes, well--”

“You’re supposed to be paying attention to _me_ ,” added Suga. 

“I am, I am,” said Daichi, reluctantly dragging his attention back to his boyfriend as his guard slunk away. He doubted that whatever shenanigans Taketora was involved in were over, and he felt an urge to follow and set things to rights. Daichi was not particularly good at being off duty. He glanced in that direction again, and when he turned back, Suga was wearing his disappointed face. 

“Go on, if you have to,” he sighed.

“No, no, Suga, I’m sorry,” said Daichi, pulling Suga close to him, resolving to focus all his attention on his boyfriend for the rest of the night. He deserved it; a relationship with a guard was difficult to manage, with the danger implied, as well as the long and uncertain hours, and Daichi, as captain, had the extra burden of responsibility for his subordinates. But Suga was a healer and also had unpredictable work, so it generally worked out well for them. Well, it had. Now Suga’s apprentice had joined him as a fully qualified healer, so his workload was halved. And it was apparent that he wanted more of Daichi’s time. 

Daichi would dearly love to give it to him, but he struggled with taking time off. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his fellow commanders to take care of any situations that might arise, but he found it difficult to turn off his sense of responsibility. Especially in big crowds. While Suga didn’t go around waiting for someone to break their leg, or whatever, Daichi found himself constantly looking for trouble that may or may not actually exist. He had trouble relaxing. But he would do his best. Because Suga deserved his best. And probably better, if he was honest.

They danced for a few moments without speaking, but Daichi could feel Suga relaxing in his arms, resting against him comfortably. Daichi’s mind was still working, ticking along his previous train of thought about Suga deserving better, as well as recalling something from earlier that had bothered him. 

“Suga… Koushi,” he said, waiting for his boyfriend to look at him. “Do you want a ring?”

Suga blinked at him. “A ring of what?”

“Er, gold, I guess?”

There was a moment of silence while Suga worked out what Daichi was getting at, and then he laughed. “Oh, Dai, are you talking about what Tooru said?”

“Well…” He shifted uncomfortably. 

“I told you not to pay any attention to him,” chided Suga, pressing a kiss to Daichi’s cheek. “You’re stuck with me whether we’re married or not.”

“Yeah, but…” Daichi frowned slightly, somewhat soothed by Suga’s reassurances, but not able to rid himself of the prickle of uncertainty. “We haven’t really talked about it. Is that something you want?”

Pulling back, Suga held his gaze for a moment. His face was serious, but his eyes were still bright with laughter. “Leave it to you to want to have this discussion in the middle of a royal ball…” He paused a moment, then led Daichi to a less crowded area, pushing him to sit in an armchair and then settling himself on his lap, leaning against Daichi’s chest with his legs dangling off one side. Gentle fingers brushed Daichi’s short hair off his forehead. 

“Suga?”

“I guess I just figured you’d ask me eventually,” he replied, smiling down into Daichi’s worried face. “I don’t feel any urgency, or even need it at all, really. I know we love each other and are committed to each other, so a ring is really just jewelry that I’d have to take off every time I have a patient. And I know you,” he added, touching his lips softly to Daichi’s forehead. “You’re very slow about things like this.”

Daichi spluttered indignantly, causing Suga to wobble somewhat on his lap. 

“You are,” he giggled. “It took you _forever_ to finally ask me out, and then like, years, before we moved into shared quarters.” He patted Daichi’s red cheek. “I can be patient.”

“I just like to think things through and be prepared,” muttered Daichi. 

“I know,” said Suga. “And I don’t mind waiting for you.” He nuzzled closer as Daichi’s arms tightened around him. “If and when you ask me,” he whispered, “the answer will be yes. So that’s one less thing you have to consider.”

Daichi kissed him, soft and tender, and said, “I love you, Koushi.”

“I love you, too, Dai. As long as we’re together, I don’t care about anything else. Well…” He hesitated, chewing on his bottom lip. “Again, this is probably not the place for it, but we’re already discussing it. There _is_ something I want you to start thinking about.”

“What?” asked Daichi, watching his boyfriend curiously. Suga rarely approached things circuitously like this; he was far more likely to spring things on him out of nowhere. This careful Suga was making Daichi uneasy again. His mind raced through several extreme possibilities before Suga could reply, his fingers digging into Suga’s hips in alarm.

“Children.”

“...what?”

“You know, Daichi. Small humans.” Suga began stroking his hair again, apparently feeling Daichi’s tension. “I’d like us to have some someday.”

“Um, but Suga…”

“Yes, I know,” interrupted Suga. His voice had an edge to it, like he had already been rejected. “Since neither of us has a womb, we can’t have any naturally, but there are other ways. Like adoption. I _have_ given this some thought, you know.”

“Have you?” asked Daichi, somewhat startled. He looked into Suga’s serious face, noting the small wrinkle in his forehead and the way his lips curved down slightly. How long had Suga been thinking about this?

“Yes, and I’m not asking you to decide right away, but just think about it. I know we’re both busy, but we’re always going to be busy, so we just have to choose to make the time for a family, and I think we can do that. I know you’ll be a great father, and I love children. Plus, there may be a royal baby coming along in the next year or two, and if we can have one around the same time, they can be friends. And--”

“This is important to you?” interrupted Daichi. He reached up to rub circles on his boyfriend’s back. Suga was babbling, barely taking a breath, and his list of reasons was a clear indicator that he had been thinking about it a _lot_.

“A little,” admitted Suga. 

“I… I am going to think about it,” Daichi said slowly. “But I can’t imagine denying you anything you really want. Um, someday.” He shrugged apologetically. “I just don’t think I’m ready quite yet.”

Suga fell against him, throwing his arms around Daichi’s neck and squeezing him. “That’s okay,” he said. “That’s all I want. For you to start thinking about it. And we can talk about it more later. It’s not like I’m going to go out and steal a baby tomorrow.”

“Suga…”

“ _Or ever_. You’re such a spoilsport, Daichi.” Suga smiled at him. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Ah. Well. I guess I met my quota then. You’ll have to wait til tomorrow to hear it again.” He dropped a kiss onto Daichi’s nose.

“How did I end up with such a troublemaker?” grumbled Daichi.

“You just got lucky.”

Daichi smiled. “Yeah, I did.”

*

Sure enough, as soon as Kei and Tadashi reappeared in the ballroom, the queen descended upon her younger son and introduced him to a small horde of admirers. Tadashi had grinned at him and waved as he slipped away. He was not particularly worried about Kei dancing with other people, not after the conversation they had just had. 

He still couldn’t stop smiling and probably looked like a loon. Kei wanted to be with him. Like, for real. He wanted to shout it out at the top of his lungs and share his happiness with everyone. And yet, at the same time, he wanted to hold it close and curl himself around it and protect it as his and his alone. The latter won out, just barely. But he did want to tell Yachi.

He looked for her for a few minutes, but when he found her, she was dancing with a serious-looking, dark-haired woman. She was smiling, and Tadashi decided not to interrupt her enjoyment of the party for his own good news. After all, it would keep. Buoyed by his happiness, it seemed like the whole gathering was lighter, less intimidating. He floated through the crowd as though he was made of sunshine.

There were so many things to do that the time passed quickly. A few times, he watched Kei dance stiffly past, grimacing a very sad approximation of a polite smile at his dancing partner. Poor Kei. He really wasn’t good at faking interest. Tadashi had laughed quietly to himself and gone to peruse the delicacies on offer at the buffet. He ran into Sugawara again and was introduced to his boyfriend, the captain of the guard. Kei’s cousin was holding court from a cushy settle, with another well-dressed nobleman laughing next to him. He saw his wild dance partner from earlier speaking to the bride, of all things, and he was glad that she seemed to have declined a dance with him. And the other energetic man, the one who had danced with Yachi, almost knocked him over again as he sped through the crowd. 

It was easier to amuse himself without the question of Kei’s interest hanging over him like a dark cloud, but he was still glad to see the young prince approaching him. Tadashi set down his glass of ale on a nearby table and smiled widely at him. “Hi,” he said. His smile froze into a rictus of panic for a second as Kei slumped against him-- was this allowed? People could be looking, and they had decided not to tell anyone about them. But he couldn’t argue with the gift given to him, and he relaxed, wrapping his arms around Kei and rubbing his back gently. “Did you dance through your shoes?” he asked, smiling into Kei’s golden hair. 

“Just about,” he muttered. “I’ve spent the last few years being as unpleasant as possible, so why do people still want to dance with me?” He whined and pressed his face into Tadashi’s shoulder. 

“Poor little prince,” said Tadashi soothingly, though he was grinning again. “Do you want to sit down? I can get you something to drink.”

“No,” sighed Kei, reluctantly pulling back from Tadashi. “My mum said it’s almost time for the big cake thing, so I have to go up to the main table with them. But I thought… maybe you could come with me…” He hesitated over the last part, as though he was still doubting that Tadashi really liked to spend time with him. 

“Of course,” said Tadashi, beaming. He felt a little less beamy inside, as he was still a little nervous about being around the rest of the royal family and entourage, but surely no one would be paying attention to them. He squeezed Kei’s hand and followed his prince up the steps to the tables on the dais. 

Akiteru was standing behind his parents, leaning over and discussing something in low tones, so only Saeko was present to greet the two men as they joined her table. Well, Saeko and another guest that Tadashi only registered as ‘not Prince Tooru’ at first. Then he did a double take and realized that it was the enthusiastic man he had danced with at the beginning of the night. “Oh,” he said in some surprise, staring at the man. He had seen them earlier and thought it odd, but the man was still here? Why in the world would he be here with the future queen? 

“Tadashi, do you know my brother?” asked Saeko, watching him. 

Ah, her brother. Now, he could see the resemblance between them: they had the same sharp features and mischievous eyes. “Not really,” he said, glancing between them. “But I believe we danced together earlier.”

“Oh, yeah,” said the brother, grinning in what Tadashi could only describe as ‘a feral way’.

“And you didn’t even introduce yourself?” demanded Saeko, giving her brother’s arm a heavy smack. “Sorry, Tadashi, you’ll have to excuse his rudeness. This is my younger brother Ryuunosuke Tanaka. And this is Tadashi Yamaguchi. He’s the witch who helped Akiteru, and he’s a… friend of Kei’s.” Her delicate pause before the word ‘friend’ had Tadashi’s ears and cheeks heating up, but Ryuunosuke didn’t seem to notice.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. He seemed rather preoccupied and kept looking back toward the dancefloor and the crowds of guests. 

“Where the hell has Yuu gotten to?” Saeko was asking. “He better not be causing trouble. I wanted him here with me, too,” she said, somewhat sulkily. She looked up as Akiteru came back.

“Are you ready? Mum sent someone to fetch the cake.”

“I guess,” she sighed. When his eyebrows furrowed in concern, she added, “Yuu isn’t here, but we can’t wait forever for him. It’s already getting late.” Pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek, Saeko rose and adjusted her voluminous dress. 

The couple strode hand-in-hand to the center of the dais, and a lone trumpeter played a short fanfare to gather attention. The king, Akiteru and Kei’s father, made an eloquent speech about the joy this union brought the queen and himself, welcoming Saeko to their family, and thanking all of their guests for joining them on this most happy occasion. “And now, without further ado, we’d like to present our talented royal baker, who has prepared a cake in honor of this marriage!” He waved a hand towards one side of the hall, and all eyes followed his gesture, taking in the sight of the shy baker and several assistants slowly pushing what looked like an entire table through the crowd. It moved smoothly on wheeled supports, but the cake had so many layers that even with their caution, the top was wobbling with the movement. 

Tadashi gasped when he saw it. It was far larger and more elaborate than he had imagined, and he was fervently grateful that the baker had stopped them before they could have accidentally smashed it. There tiers upon tiers of cake on display, all covered in pristine white frosting, and even from a distance, he could see the delicate decorations. He was holding his breath, absurdly nervous as the crowd slowly parted around them, letting the bakers and the creation move towards the center of the ballroom. 

Then it happened. 

It was like watching a horrible accident. Everything happened at once, and yet, time seemed to slow down so that the moment of impact lasted a lifetime. 

A sharp jostling from the crowd resulted in Yuu Nishinoya being hurtled against the big baker, knocking him off balance and tilting the board holding the cake. In the space of a couple of heartbeats, the assistants lost the struggle against gravity, and the exquisite dessert slowly, but determinedly, slid off of the board and onto the ballroom floor.

The shocked silence lasted for a few moments, broken by a single sob as the horrified baker stared at the ruined result of his hard work, burst into tears, and fled. 

The ballroom exploded into commotion. Guests shuffled away from the fallen cake and tried to look like they hadn’t even been near it. The queen sank into a chair, looking rather faint. Captain Sawamura grabbed Noya before he could escape and held him firmly, scowling and speaking to him in a low, authoritative tone. Sugawara slipped away and exited in the direction of the kitchens. Akiteru was nervously trying to calm the guests from his position on the dais, but he seemed unsure of what the protocol was in this particular situation, and he kept faltering. 

Saeko sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead for a moment, trying to gather her strength. Then, without a word, she took hold of her skirts and calmly made her way down the steps to the floor. The crowd parted before her, and a hush fell over the guests as she strode through them. Approaching the site of the disaster, she slowed and took stock of the situation. “Right,” she said, and she turned to one of the assistants and held out her hand for the knife he held. Dumbfounded, he handed it over. 

The future queen hiked up her skirts and squatted near the fallen cake. To everyone’s surprise, she began to cut pieces out of the top layers. “Plates,” she demanded. The assistants obediently provided her with plates, and she served lopsided pieces of wedding cake, handing them to bystanders. 

In a moment, Akiteru had joined her, and he took a plate before helping her upright again. “Quite right,” he said. “Most of it is still intact, and while it may not be as beautiful as intended, I’m sure it still tastes wonderful.”

“Absolutely,” Saeko replied. “No point in wasting it. Please join us in enjoying this delicious tribute to our marriage.” She gave some further instruction to the stunned assistants on serving any parts that hadn’t touched the floor, and the new couple made their way back to the dais, where they made a show of digging into the dessert. It was, in fact, wonderful.

“Poor guy,” said Tadashi, waiting with Kei for the crowd around the cake to thin out a little. “I feel bad for him. He looked really devastated.”

“Yeah,” said Kei, a tiny furrow between his brows. “It was just a cake, but he does take a lot of pride in his work, and I doubt it was pleasant to see it ruined in an instant.” 

Tadashi had seen Yachi spend hours on cakes a fraction of that size, so he thought ‘just a cake’ was minimizing it somewhat, but he kept it to himself. He bumped his arm against Kei’s gently. “At least it could be salvaged a little bit. I think… er, the bride handled it very well.” Even though she introduced herself as Saeko, he couldn’t quite bring himself to call the future queen by her first name. “Everyone will be talking about it,” he added. “In a good way.”

“Ye-es,” agreed Kei, clearly grudgingly. Even he couldn’t deny that his sister-in-law had a way of taking command of a situation and turning it in her favor. She had done well, though he was never going to say that. The positively adoring look in Akiteru’s eyes was speaking loudly enough for the whole room.

“Uh oh,” said Tadashi, turning his attention to the purposeful stride of one of the guards. Oh, it was Suga’s boyfriend. He had a glower on his face, and he was towing a smaller man through the crowd. As they reached the dais, Tadashi could see that it was the man who had caused the accident… and… oh, dear, it was the wild one who had danced with Yachi. Wait, was he also related to Saeko? 

Usually Tadashi felt very uneasy when it came to direct confrontation; it had to be done sometimes, but when it involved him, he could typically draw on the strength of a witch’s position of power to back him up. And he made Yachi come with him. Watching interpersonal drama unfold also made him a little nervous, just by way of empathy, but he was far too curious to tear himself away, so he shuffled a little bit behind Kei as they watched the captain approaching the newlyweds. 

The captain nodded to Akiteru, but he addressed Saeko, pushing Noya heavily onto the settee. “My Lady, I’m sorry, but I cannot give any more leeway to this delinquent. His reckless behaviour shows no signs of improving, and I can’t have my guards tasked with keeping him in line. Something must be done.”

“I understand, Captain,” replied Saeko, glaring at Noya. He looked sulkily recalcitrant and refused to meet her eyes. “We will have a discussion, and he’ll give you no more trouble. _Or else._ ” Her smile was sweet as she dismissed the captain, but there was a hardness in her eyes. After a moment, she set aside her empty plate and rose from the table. “Yuu, a moment of your time, please.” 

Noya didn’t move for a minute, but he reluctantly followed her to the rear of the dais. They kept their voices relatively low, so none of the family or guests could hear what was said, but it was clearly an intense argument, as shown by the waving arms and stormy expressions of both parties. 

“Aw, shit.” Saeko’s brother was twisted around, leaning on the back of his seat as he watched the disagreement. “She’s really giving it to him. It was only an accident. He wouldn’t have done it on purpose.”

Kei snorted. “It’s always an accident,” he said lowly, to Tadashi. It was obvious that Kei had very little sympathy for Saeko’s family, but Tadashi wasn’t sure if that was by their own merit, or if he was just biased because he still hadn’t warmed up to Saeko herself. Tadashi rather agreed with the brother; it had definitely been an accident, and he was inclined to forgiveness rather easily. It had all worked out in the end, after all. There was still plenty of cake for everyone who wanted it. Other than the hurt pride of the baker (which Tadashi was not downplaying), what harm was done?

“Let’s go get some cake,” suggested Tadashi, tugging at Kei’s arm. The crowd had thinned considerably, with most of the guests eating and mingling, or else moving back to the dancefloor. And he could see Saeko coming back towards them. Perhaps it was witch’s intuition, but despite having just been introduced to this family, he could feel the tension underlying their interactions, and he had already witnessed one disaster tonight. He’d rather prevent another. He thought it would be safest to keep Kei away from Saeko and her family while they sorted things out, because while he enjoyed Kei’s snide comments and knew them to be mostly bluster, he thought it would be very easy for someone else to take offense. Maybe he was worrying for nothing, but that was his job. Fortunately, Kei did not protest and allowed himself to be steered down the steps and towards the cake salvaging operation. 

A moment later, Noya flopped down next to Ryuu without a word. Saeko had been called away to be congratulated by an elderly couple who had retired from the castle, so the two young men were left on their own. Normally, that would be just the opportunity they were looking for, but both of them were more subdued than usual. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but eventually, Ryuu nudged Noya. “So?”

“So the captain has her all mad at me,” grumbled Noya. 

“Well I could see that,” scoffed Ryuu. “I mean, what is she going to do? Is… is he going to throw you out?” That was something Saeko had warned them about many times--there was no guarantee they could stay with her when she got married. And while they both had a special place in their hearts for the Tanaka family home and the whole clan that lived there… going back in shame wasn’t a pleasing prospect. This was the city, and there were far more opportunities here. Unfortunately, that also included more opportunities for mischief, which seemed to draw Noya in like a gravitational force. 

“Not yet,” Noya said. “But apparently they like things to be peaceful around here, so if I upset people too much… I dunno.”

“If they make you go, I’ll go with you,” said Ryuu, loyally. 

Noya sighed and bent forward, propping his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. “It’s not like I _try_ to upset people,” he mumbled. “It just seems like no matter what I do, someone gets upset.”

“Yeah,” said Ryuu, mirroring his posture, but resting his chin on his hands. “You got too much energy. And there’s not enough to do here.”

“Right?!” exclaimed Noya, turning to look at him. “It’s not as exciting as I thought it’d be. Just a lot of rooms you have to be quiet in, and hardly anyone our age that isn’t busy being a guard or something…”

“Maybe we just haven’t been here long enough,” Ryuu mused. “Maybe we’ll find things we like to do.”

“I might not get to be here long enough,” said Noya, lapsing back into silence. It lingered for a while, as neither were inclined to break it, and they sat quietly together, comfortable in the other’s presence. 

“I don’t like this,” said Noya, finally. He was slouched against the back of the chaise, contemplating his polished shoes. 

“Eh, we’ll figure it out,” replied Ryuu, not really paying much attention. His gaze was on the dancers, watching the swirl of colors and rhythmic movement.

“No, Ryuu…” He made a strangled sound in his throat, as he tried to pinpoint what it was he didn’t like. “I… I think I feel bad.”

“She’ll forgive you. By tomorrow, she’ll be over it.”

“Not for Saeko!” protested Noya. He knew that she forgave easily; her temper flared hot, and then she cooled down and got over it. The three of them had that in common. But that wasn’t what he meant. “For that guy… the one with the cake. I feel bad for him.”

“Oh. Why?”

“I dunno. Just do.” He paused for a moment, doing an internal inspection, in case any clarifying thought jumped to attention. “But he was real upset. He was crying.”

“Yeah. I think that’s why the captain got so mad.”

“What should I do?” demanded Noya. “I have to do something!” He didn’t often feel chagrined about what havoc he wreaked, and he didn’t like it much. He felt like he was going to be haunted by the expression on that baker’s face.

Ryuu shrugged. “Apologise?”

“No! That won’t help. I need something to make him feel better.”

“Not like when we used to apologise to Mum. I mean a real apology. One that you mean.”

“Oh.” Hmm. Well, that was worth considering. Despite the lackluster and insincere nature of their apologies to Lady Tanaka in their youth, she had always accepted them back into her good graces with a smile and a hug. He pictured the handsome baker smiling at him and offering him a hug and… he was feeling very hot all of a sudden. In a good way. He suddenly wanted very much to make the baker smile. “What makes a good apology?” he asked.

“I dunno. Meaning it? And flowers, I think.”

“Flowers. Right.”

*

Noya had slipped away by the time Kei and Tadashi returned to the platform. The tension had left with him, it seemed, because Saeko and her brother were laughing together in response to a story one of their guests was telling. Kei led Tadashi to a separate table, where they could sit in peace and eat their cake. 

It was very good cake, but Tadashi only ate about half of his, too full from sampling the other foods. He was definitely not used to this sort of diet, rich food and ale and sweets, and he was afraid that if he overindulged, he’d get a stomachache. He would prefer to spend the remaining time with Kei and not trying to find Suga. 

To his surprise, Kei ate all of his own slice and then, when he had indicated that he couldn’t eat anymore, finished off Tadashi’s slice. “Hmm,” said Tadashi, watching Kei with some amusement. “I would never have thought that you had such a sweet-tooth.” 

“Because I’m so sour?” asked Kei, making a pinched expression. Tadashi laughed. “It’s true. You’ve found my weakness.”

“Aha!” said Tadashi, pointing a fork at him. “And now I will use it to seduce you!”

Kei smiled at him, a real genuine smile, and Tadashi almost dropped his fork. He had seen Kei’s little lip-curling smiles, and he had thought those charming; this full faced, eye-crinkling, mouth-stretching smile was absolutely devastating. He swallowed hard, trying to bring some moisture to his suddenly dry throat, and tried to focus on what Kei was saying. 

“--would have been married off by now if only someone had thought to bring me pastries.” When Tadashi didn’t respond right away, the grin dimmed somewhat, and Kei asked, “Tadashi?”

“Ah, yes,” he said, hastily. “Their loss is my gain.”

Before he could embarrass himself further, Akiteru came over to their table, resting a hand on Kei’s shoulder. “In a few minutes, they’re going to announce that if anyone else wants to greet us, they can form a line, and once we get through that, we’ll do the… er.” He blushed and shot a pained look at Tadashi, as if his presence was making him more anxious. “The formal goodnights,” he managed. 

“Okay?” said Kei, clearly not understanding what Akiteru meant by telling him all of that. 

“So, now would be a good time to do any final dancing, if you wanted,” continued Akiteru, staring at him meaningfully. 

“Oh. Right.” Once Akiteru had returned to Saeko (taking his own advice and leading his bride onto the dancefloor), Kei turned to Tadashi. “Would you like to dance some more?” he asked, holding out his hand. 

“I’d love to,” said Tadashi, taking his hand and letting Kei lead him down the steps once more. 

*

For all of his usual exuberance, Noya could be quiet when he wanted. Most of the time, if he was being quiet, it was because he was sneaking somewhere, and that was true of this occasion, also, but this time, he was doing it for someone other than himself. Well, it was a little bit for himself. He wanted to atone for his earlier accident, yes, but he also wanted to get closer to that baker, to see him up close (without tears, hopefully) and find out more about him. Like his name. The easiest way to accomplish that would be to smooth the path, and he had latched onto Ryuu’s flower suggestion. 

He escaped the ballroom easily enough, but gaining access to the grounds in the middle of the night would be an issue. There were always guards in the open areas, and any private gardens were only accessible through private rooms. Noya wasn’t sure he would be able to explain away getting caught breaking into someone’s bedchamber, so he ruled those out. He hadn’t been living here long enough to have mapped the whole castle, and while he was sure there were lots of little secret passages and doors, he was in the dark.

Literally. 

He had been wandering in the direction of his quarters, and he found himself in an empty corridor, lit only by faint moonlight filtering through the thick windows. Ah, the candle in the closest sconce must have gone out. He could see the vague shape of a guard patrolling at the other end of the hallway, no doubt under strict orders not to leave his post, not even to replace a light. Noya didn’t think he’d get a better opportunity than this. 

His first order of business was to just get outside. And there was a door a couple of yards ahead of him. He timed the guard’s pace, waiting until he had rounded the corner, and then Noya moved forward through the shadows to test the door.

It opened without trouble, but the scratch of the wood across the flagstones seemed deafening in Noya’s ears, so he quickly slipped through the narrow opening and shut the door behind him. Not daring to sigh in relief just yet, he stood still against the wall, to the side of the door, waiting to see if anyone would come after him. When he was sure that there would be no pursuit, he relaxed a little and looked around him. 

Huh. Well, he was in a sort of a garden. He supposed. It was probably the worst, saddest garden he’d ever seen, but there were plants growing there and a somewhat decrepit gazebo and an empty fountain. That seemed to say ‘garden’. Now he just had to find some kind of flowers in this overgrown tangle of weeds. The season had definitely changed, and many of the flowers had long since died, or whatever flowers did in the autumn and winter. But surely there would be something… 

He began to rummage through the dark, and frankly, creepy garden, pushing aside clumps of tall grasses and tangles of vines. The moon provided some light, but all that seemed to do was to make the shadows darker. Several times, he heard soft rustling that he firmly told himself was just little birds and rabbits. Definitely. Once, he stepped into a loop of ivy that tightened around his ankle, and he _might_ have shrieked a little, but fortunately, there was no one there to hear him. 

Finally, he had gathered a decent sized bouquet of flowery plants. Noya wasn’t particularly interested in gardening, so he honestly couldn’t say if these were real flowers or just weeds, but he thought they looked kind of nice. There were little purple bell-shaped ones, some orange ones with big centers, dainty white ones, pink spready-outy ones, and some sprigs of something yellow and fluffy. Pleased with himself, he wasted no time in getting out of the dark, decrepit patch of greenery. 

*

No longer bustling with activity, the kitchens were almost eerily still at this time of night. The staff had mostly cleaned up and gone to bed, except for a small group who were to collect the remnants of the feast from the ballroom, along with the used dishes. There was a dish-washing operation clustered around the big sinks, all of the kitchen attendants working busily to finish their tasks and turn in for the night. But it was relatively quiet near the huge wood ovens to the back of the room, and that was where Asahi had taken refuge after his humiliation. 

Even in the middle of the night, there was a fire burning in the ovens; in a few hours, the early morning shift would start the daily baking, and it took too long to heat the ovens if they were allowed to go out overnight. It was cozily warm in the farthest corner, and Asahi was starting to feel a little bit over-toasted, actually. Part of that may have been the wine, though.

Despite his soft heart and sensitive nature, he didn’t often break down and cry, and when he did, he was embarrassed and sought somewhere safe and quiet to release his emotions in peace. The kitchens had been his safe place since he had first come to the castle as a skinny teenager, and he felt more at home here than even in his quarters. His stress level had been overwhelmingly high during the frantic lead up to the wedding, not least because the event itself had been moved forward several months, making preparations rushed by necessity. Asahi wasn’t good with rushing and spontaneity; he very much preferred to form a detailed plan and stick to it, thinking things through carefully before acting. 

So what little time he did have to prepare, he had used almost entirely in designing a tiered cake that would be worthy of a royal wedding. Weeks of work and energy and emotional labor… destroyed in an instant. The sight of the demolished cake had been the proverbial last straw to his already ravaged nerves. He couldn’t help his reaction, however much he wished he could have kept up a manly facade of stoicism. And he had hurried past the rest of the lingering kitchen staff, trying to hide his red face and tears, until he got to his little corner by the ovens, where he knew no one would disturb him. 

Well, only one person would disturb him.

He had flinched as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder and whirled around in mortification to see his friend Suga standing there. After that, it had been a blur of tears, snot, and comforting pats as he blubbered at Suga. And then the wine had appeared. 

It was Suga’s doing, obviously, and while Asahi had tried to protest that it might be missed from the cellars, Suga had said they could take care of that later, if it came up. _Trust me,_ Suga had said. And Asahi did. And they had worked their way through one whole bottle and started the second before Asahi felt like he had properly mourned his creation. Sighing, he dropped his head down on the table, dark strands of his hair escaping the tie that held it back and falling around his face. “This might be the worst night of my life,” he mumbled. 

“It could have been worse,” said Suga, cheerfully. His perpetual cheer and delicate features were a huge contrast to the intimidatingly big frame and quiet air of nervousness that defined Asahi, but he couldn’t ask for a better friend. They had known each other for years, and despite his flippancy, Asahi knew that Suga understood his despair. 

“How could it have been worse?” he asked, feeling his head floating pleasantly with mild intoxication. 

Thinking a moment, Suga replied, “You could have dropped it in the hall outside and not had anything to bring in at all. Or it could have fallen _on_ the bride, also ruining her dress. Or--”

“Okay, stop telling me,” said Asahi, waving a hand at his friend. 

Suga grinned at him and refilled his cup. "From now on, forever in the future, you don't ever have to be worried anymore," he announced. "Because you can always say, 'whatever happens, it can't be as bad as that time when the wedding cake got destroyed'." 

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to stop me from worrying,” muttered Asahi, but he was smiling. Suga really was a good person to have around when he needed cheering up. It was nearly impossible to stay depressed when Suga was spouting nonsense. 

“Oh, I’ll remind you,” promised Suga.

Asahi was about to respond, but a soft, unexpected _creak_ made his retort catch in his throat. The two men turned toward the back door, which was slowly creeping open. So much for not worrying; Asahi could feel his heart racing in a spike of anxiety. That door led to the herb garden and chicken coops. There shouldn’t be anyone out there, and he hadn’t been paying attention, but he hadn’t heard the chickens kicking up a fuss over an intruder. They didn’t keep the door locked, because there were supposed to be guards constantly patrolling the perimeter of the castle. And he felt a prickle of indignation in the midst of his panic--how could someone have the audacity to try to rob the castle on the night of the royal wedding? That was just plain rude.

He barely had time to reach for Suga’s hand before the intruder was peeking around the heavy door. It was… wait, that wasn’t a burglar, he didn’t think. Asahi had seen him around the castle, at least. That didn’t mean much, he supposed. It could be an inside job. He really needed to stop reading the cheap novels that Suga passed on to him. 

The intruder saw them in the corner, jumped as if startled, but he didn’t flee as Asahi had expected. He shuffled around the door, closing it behind him, and produced… flowers? Asahi glanced at Suga in confusion, but his friend didn’t seem to be worried whatsoever. He was watching with some amusement, his face propped up on one hand. 

“Ah,” said the probably-not-burglar. “I was looking for you.” His gaze dropped to where Asahi and Suga’s joined hands rested on the table. Asahi felt a little silly holding his friend’s hand now, since there seemed to be no imminent danger, and he tried to pull away, but Suga held it firmly. 

Approaching slowly, the young man turned his bold eyes on Asahi, who had to struggle not to shrink away. He was on the small side, physically, but he held himself proudly, and there was an intensity about him, in his eyes and his movements. He thrust out the colorful bouquet, and Asahi took it in surprise. 

“These are for you,” he said, not looking a bit ashamed at a gesture that would have put many people into a state of blushing panic. Asahi blushed instinctively, but he found that he couldn’t look away from the other man’s face. “I don’t know if they’re real flowers, or just weeds, but they looked nice, so I picked them for you.”

“Any particular reason?” asked Suga, smirking. He was enjoying this, damn him. 

“Of course.” The young man thumped a closed fist against his chest. “I was the one who ran into you and made you drop the big cake.” He didn’t look ashamed or particularly nervous about his confession. “It was an accident, but you were upset. So this is my apology. I didn’t mean to make you sad, and I will… pay more attention next time. I’m very sorry,” he said, bowing stiffly. 

“Oh, er…” Asahi was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond. “That’s okay. I knew it was an accident, but… Thank you for apologizing.” He dropped his face to take a sniff of the flowers (and to hide his embarrassment), and they weren’t particularly fragrant, but there was a pleasant plant-y sort of smell. When he looked back up, the young man’s fierce dark eyes were watching him. 

“So…” he said. “You bake a lot of cakes, then?” For the first time, he began to look a little uncomfortable. His gaze finally left Asahi’s face and moved around the room, taking in the big ovens and long tables. “I’ve never been down here.”

“Er…” said Asahi, a vision of eloquence.

“What’s your name?” asked Suga. “You’re new around here?”

“Yeah, I came with the Tanakas,” said the intruder. “Saeko is almost my sister, so I’m staying here… well, for a while, anyway. My name is Yuu Nishinoya, but everyone calls me Noya.”

Suga introduced himself as the castle healer. “And that’s Asahi. He’s the head baker. It’s pretty impressive, but he pretends it’s not.”

“Suga…” muttered Asahi, clearly embarrassed. 

“It’s true,” insisted Suga. “You’ll see. All the little tarts and pastries served at meals are made by this guy.”

“Huh,” said Noya. “I’d like to see that sometime. Maybe I’ll come back down here when you’re working.” He was leaning casually against a shelf and watching Asahi again. 

“O-okay,” agreed Asahi. It was probably just a nicety, to profess interest in someone’s occupation, but he couldn’t help but feel proud of his skill, and the thought of impressing this man… Well, it made him feel kind of squirmy inside. 

“Right, well, I’ll see you around then,” said Noya, pushing away from the shelf and starting towards the kitchen back door. 

“You know you can go out through the main door,” suggested Suga, gesturing towards the doors that lead back through the castle. “Might be easier…”

“Oh.” Noya looked momentarily surprised, as if the idea of taking a normal, non-circuitous route would have never occurred to him. It lasted for barely a second before he was back to his bold, unaffected manner. “Well, I guess I can take the easy way tonight.” Without a backwards look, he sauntered through the counters and tables, pushing open the heavy door and looking both ways before disappearing from view. 

For a moment, the two friends sat in stunned silence. Then… 

“He liiiiiiiiiiiiiikes you,” crooned Suga, fluttering his eyelashes at Asahi.

“What?!” protested Asahi. “How did you get that? He just wanted to apologise for bumping into me, that’s all. Just being nice.” His cheeks were turning red, though, and he couldn’t deny that he felt rather pleased by the attention. No one had ever brought him flowers. And it had been a long time since anyone had approached him with any kind of courting intent. Not that he thought that’s what this was, or anything! It was just… nice.

“It’s so obvious,” Suga scoffed. “Trust me. I can always tell.”

Now it was Asahi’s turn to scoff. “Oh, can you? I seem to recall you having some trouble telling if Daichi liked you or not.” He cleared his throat and pitched his voice higher in a dramatic lament (that sounded nothing like Suga whatsoever to be honest, but that wasn’t the point). “‘Oh, Asahi, do you think he likes me? Like, _likes me_ likes me? We’ve only kissed twenty-seven times, so how can I possibly know??’” 

Suga was wheezing with laughter and shoving at Asahi. “Shut up, I did not sound like that!”

“That was the gist of it.”

“Yeah, well, Daichi is the exception. He’s impossible for anyone to read,” said Suga, waving a hand dismissively. “And I was too close to the situation. I’m better at knowing when other people are about to hook up.”

Asahi had been taking an ill-timed drink, and he spluttered wine across the table at the words ‘hook up’. “We aren’t!” he exclaimed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I barely know him! And… just no.”

“Mmhmm,” said Suga, not looking concerned. “That’s what you say now. But I’m always right.”

“Don’t do anything, Suga,” begged Asahi. He absolutely did not want to be set up, even if he was somewhat interested, and he spent enough of his time feeling awkward without any enforced proximity adding to it. 

“I won’t,” he assured his friend. “I don’t need to. I’m just predicting.”

Asahi buried his face in his hands. “Where is Daichi?” he complained. “He shouldn’t let you out unsupervised.”

“Pfft.” Suga scoffed. “Probably checking on the guards, or something. You know how he is.” This wasn’t a complaint, but a statement of fact. Suga had long ago accepted his boyfriend’s limitations when it came to suspending responsibility. But in the following silence, he remembered something and smiled. “He asked me if I wanted to get married.”

“Wait, really?” asked Asahi, sitting up straighter to stare at him. 

“Not officially. But like, is that something I want at some point,” clarified Suga.

“Oh, Daichi…” Asahi sighed and shook his head. “What did you say?”

“I told him that I want a baby.”

“Suga!” They were both laughing now. But Asahi did feel a little indignant on Daichi’s behalf; Daichi was also his friend, and it wasn’t his fault that he moved forward slower than Suga. “He’s just thinking about marriage! You can’t just throw babies on him like that!”

Suga stuck his tongue out. “I can and I did. He said he’d think about it.”

“Are you going to marry him?” asked Asahi.

“Of course. When he asks me for real.”

“Hmmm,” mused Asahi. “Healer Sawamura?”

Wrinkling his nose, Suga rejected that. “I don’t think so.”

“Captain Sugawara?” suggested Asahi.

“That sounds just as bad,” Suga said, stifling a giggle. “We’ll probably keep our names.”

“But what about your babies?” asked Asahi, grinning back. “Will they be Sawamuras or Sugawaras?”

“We’ll do one of those combo names… like Sugamura or Sawawaw… Swawara... Well, not that one, cuz it’s too hard to say.” 

After attempting to say ‘Sawawara’ multiple times (and mostly failing), they had dissolved into giggles. And that’s how Daichi found them. 

“Ah, there you are,” he said, making his way through the kitchen. “I was getting worried.” He put a hand on Suga’s shoulder, as if confirming that, yes, he had found him. With his other, he picked up the empty wine bottle, raising his eyebrows. “I think I’m still worried.”

Suga leaned against him. “Shush. We’re in mourning for the cake.”

“Oh, good news on that,” said Daichi, looking at Asahi. “They served it anyway.”

“They _what_??” demanded Asahi. “Who was it? They should have known better! People are going to get sick--”

“Asahi, Asahi,” said Daichi, holding his hands up placatingly. “They served the parts that didn’t touch the floor. The bride did it herself.”

Somewhat ruffled still, Asahi’s outrage dissipated into grumbling under his breath. He still didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. And he could hardly scold his assistants for serving cake under the new princess’s orders. 

“And don’t worry,” added Daichi. “The person responsible has been apprehended and will be punished.”

Asahi and Suga exchanged glances. Asahi tried not to look at the bundle of flowers on the table next to him. “Oh, well, don’t be too hard on him,” he said after a moment. 

“What?” Daichi looked bewildered. “Asahi, he ruined weeks of your hard work. You were so upset…”

“Well…” Asahi hedged, squirming slightly in his chair. “He came and apologized just now,” he admitted. Seeing the thunderous look on Daichi’s face, he added, “It was very nice of him, especially because I knew it was an accident!”

“He’s _not_ very nice,” snapped Daichi. “He’s a first class troublemaker, and I told the princess in no uncertain terms that he had better--”

“Daichi,” interrupted Suga, who was watching Asahi’s face slowly pale in response to Daichi’s harsh words. “It’s done. Let it go for now.” He reached a hand up to pat his boyfriend’s cheek soothingly. “Sorry, Asahi. You know he doesn’t like to be wrong. Speaking of--” he added quickly, not letting Daichi have a chance to refute that comment. “I believe you owe me some money. I am _sure_ I saw our Prince Kei dancing with a certain witch…?” He tilted his head back to grin up at Daichi. “Pay up.”

“He danced with a lot of people,” grumbled Daichi, but he pulled a handful of coins out of his pocket and dropped them in Suga’s outstretched hand. 

“Not like he was dancing with Yamaguchi,” smirked Suga. Looking back to Asahi, he gestured to himself. “Always right,” he said. 

“Yeah, yeah,” said Daichi. “Come on, Mr. Matchmaker. It’s time for bed.” He half lifted Suga out of his chair and began to steer him towards the door. 

“Mmm, if you say so,” replied Suga, pliantly. “Goodnight, Asahi!”

“Goodnight. Thanks, Suga.” Asahi watched his friends leave and, left alone once more, disposed of the wine bottles. He added the dirty cups to the pile of dishes being washed, and he held his flowers close to his chest as he slipped away to his own room. 

*

It was clear that the party was winding down, and looking around, he could tell that the crowd had definitely thinned. Tadashi didn’t wear a watch, and he was too busy soaking up Kei’s presence to look for a clock, but it must be very late indeed. If he hadn’t been so high on the adrenaline rush of his new relationship, he would probably be struggling to stay awake; he was not much of a night owl. 

He leaned against Kei, reveling in the feeling of the prince’s arms wrapped around him, the smell of his skin, the warmth between them. It was extremely pleasant, and Tadashi wanted to just sink into the feeling of being held and cherished… but he had just thought of something, and it wouldn’t let him. “Mmm, Kei?” he said, lifting his head from where it had been resting against Kei’s shoulder. “I just thought--it’s so late now. I don’t know if there will be anyone about to give me a ride home.”

Kei stared at him as if he had suddenly started speaking a different language. “Tadashi. You can stay here tonight.” 

“Oh.” He could feel his cheeks burning. “I don’t want to put anyone to any trouble--”

“Tadashi, probably half of the guests are staying. A lot of them come from other kingdoms, some several days’ journeys from here. The staff have prepared dozens of rooms.” He paused, swallowing nervously before continuing. “And even if they hadn’t… you could stay with me. If you want.” He looked away, not letting Tadashi meet his gaze.

“With you?”

“Yes. My bed has more than enough room for two. And, er… we don’t have to… do anything, if you don’t want to,” he added, hastily. 

Tadashi felt a warmth spreading through him at the thought of falling asleep in Kei’s arms, of waking up with him… They had shared a sleeping space before, as they traveled through the forest, but somehow, the idea of doing so in a bed made it seem more real--something lovers did. Plus, he imagined there would be privacy in Kei’s chambers, which meant they could kiss and kiss without interruption. Oh, that was what Kei meant about ‘not doing anything’. The warmth spread to his cheeks, deepening his blush. “O-okay. I’d like to stay with you,” he said, burying his face in Kei’s shoulder again. The idea of doing things was something he might like to explore, but he felt like they should wait until they were alone. He was still not completely recovered from the experience of being interrupted. 

Kei held him tightly, and they swayed and moved to the music as guests queued up to personally congratulate the newlywed couple. They danced across a nearly empty dancefloor as more and more guests left or were showed to their overnight accommodation. They stayed in each other’s arms until the musicians stopped playing and began packing up their instruments. And even then, Tadashi didn’t want to let go entirely; he stepped away from Kei, but he gripped his hand, twining their fingers together. 

“Do… do you need to do anything else?” he asked, softly. 

“No, I don’t think so.” Kei bumped their shoulders together. Before they could dissolve into awkwardness, the bride and groom gave a final expression of gratitude for all who came to celebrate their marriage and bid the rest of their guests goodnight. In the cacophony of cheers and hoots and whistles, the newlyweds exited, and Kei led Tadashi after them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mmm, Daichi," murmured Suga, as the captain maneuvered him through the door to their quarters. His arms were wrapped around Daichi's neck, and he had refused to let go, which had made their walk from the kitchens somewhat difficult and time-consuming. 

"Yes, dear," said Daichi, soothingly, steering Suga towards the bed. He had endured many corridors of his boyfriend's giggles and silly comments, and he was focused on getting him into bed to sleep off the wine. 

"Kiss meeee," Suga demanded, refusing to be pushed onto the bed. For all his fine boned beauty, the castle healer had incredible strength. And stubbornness. 

Giving in, Daichi pressed a small kiss to his lips. "Now get in bed."

Suga grinned at him. "You first."

"Koushi," began Daichi, in his sternest voice. None of his guards would dare to contradict, or even interrupt, him when he used that tone. Suga, however, was always the exception and paid no attention to him. 

"Let's have sex."

If he had a free hand, he would be pinching the bridge of his nose. "Suga, you're drunk."

"So?"

"So I know you're going to fall asleep in about ten seconds if you would just lie down…"

Suga pressed his hips against Daichi's, shamelessly rubbing against him. "So fuck me standing up," he suggested. 

"My love," said Daichi, patiently. "I want you to get into bed and go to sleep, and you'll thank me in the morning when you feel better."

"Daichi, I _know_ what I want to feel in the morning." His hand slid down to the front of Daichi's trousers, groping him. "Come on… just fuck me real quick," he wheedled. "How often do we get a night off together?"

"Mmm." Daichi could feel himself caving to his boyfriend's whims, like always, and he was starting to think that maybe a little bit of love-making would be quite nice. "You sure you're awake enough?" he asked. 

Grinning, Suga started undoing the buttons of his tunic. "I love you," he said, kissing Daichi as he slid the silvery material off his shoulders. "I'm going to make you feel so good." 

Daichi kissed him again, working at the fastenings of Suga's trousers. "You're such a seducer." He finally got his boyfriend to sit on the bed, and he pulled at his clothes with determination. 

Suga giggled as Daichi finally yanked his trousers off and his legs dropped to the bed, splayed wide. Daichi tossed them behind him and quickly shimmied Suga's underwear off, too, leaving his pale, lean body on display. The candlelight glinted off sparse silvery body hair, and Daichi ran a reverential hand over one soft calf. "God, you're so beautiful."

Lazily propping himself up with one arm behind his head, Suga reached down to stroke himself slowly. "Are you only gonna look?" His teeth sank into his bottom lip as he rubbed his thumb over the tip of his erection.

It was a pretty sight, and Daichi was tempted to just watch his lovely boyfriend bring himself off with no help from him. But… joining in was so much better, so he quickly removed his own clothes, dropping them off the bed without ceremony. It was astonishing how quickly he could go from flaccid to hard and dripping when Suga was involved. He shuffled forward on his knees and lifted Suga's legs over his shoulders. And then further. 

Squawking, Suga had to let go of his erection to steady himself against the bed as Daichi pulled him off balance and spread his ass cheeks, pressing his mouth against Suga's entrance. "Mmmm," moaned Suga. "That's not very hygienic, you know. As your healer, I… I have a duty to warn you."

Daichi let his tongue probe a little longer before replying. "What I know is that you wash thoroughly and regularly because you _love_ this." Tongue flat, he laved a wet path over Suga's rim a few times before diving back in with enthusiasm. He also loved this, and he happily ate Suga's ass with his boyfriend's legs jerking and twitching over his shoulders. 

"Daichiiiii, Dai… I need your cock."

Trailing his lips away from Suga's entrance, he sucked a mark into the flesh of one pale thigh.

"Cock, Daichi! Cock!"

"Demanding," muttered Daichi, lowering Suga back to the bed. He wiped the saliva away from his chin as Suga wiggled around to retrieve two bottles from the bedside table. One was thrust into his hands, and he uncorked it with a sigh, swishing the mixture of alcohol and herbs around his mouth as he watched Suga pour oil over his fingers. For all that Suga loved Daichi's tongue in his ass, he wouldn't permit kissing until Daichi rinsed his mouth. He understood, but the mouthwash Suga made was vile tasting.

He took the vial of oil out of Suga's tight grip, using some to slick over his hard cock while Suga efficiently stretched himself open. "You ready?"

"I been ready," whined Suga, arching his back as Daichi gently prised his fingers away from his ass. "I'm always ready."

Hooking Suga's thighs over his hipbones, Daichi lowered himself so that they were chest-to-chest, and he slowly pushed forward into Suga's tight heat. "Fuck, you feel good." He pressed his mouth to Suga's neck, focusing on the way Suga's body accepted him so readily, listening to his lover's soft sighs of pleasure and contentment. 

Daichi rocked his hips slowly, fucking him steadily and gently, their bodies moving together in a soft rhythm, like the rolling of ocean waves. "I love you, Koushi," he breathed, claiming Suga's mouth in a deep kiss. They made love like this for several minutes, holding each other close and kissing and breathing their love for each other. 

Then Daichi realized that Suga wasn't as responsive to his whispers… Bracing himself on his elbows, he pushed up to look at his boyfriend. "Are you falling asleep?? Koushi!"

"Mmmm, nooooo, I'm just enjoying it..."

"I told you you were too sleepy! But I let you convince me, so the least you could do is stay awake for it!" He huffed. "What does that say about me, that you fall asleep while I'm fucking you?"

Suga cracked one eye open and wrapped a heavy arm around Daichi's neck. "That I trust you with my body, even if I'm not awake to supervise you?"

"If you fall asleep, I'm going to stop."

"Nooooo, Dai, I'm awake, I promise. Kiss me some more."

Daichi kissed him. For a minute or two… before Suga's breathing started to even out again. 

Sighing, Daichi pushed himself back until he was kneeling between Suga's thighs. Slowly, gently, he pulled Suga's legs over his shoulders and shifted so that he could get the right angle. Then he thrust sharply. 

With a yelp, Suga jerked against him. "I'm awake!" He shuddered as Daichi's cock ground against his sweet spot. "Daiiiii, God!"

Maybe it was a little bit petty, but he was annoyed that Suga got him all worked up and then tried to fall asleep. He knew that Suga's prostate was very sensitive, and that he could be easily overstimulated, so he usually avoided a lot of direct contact. Despite his annoyance, he only pressed against it for a few seconds before he withdrew slightly, giving Suga a break. "You come here," he demanded, sitting back on his heels and letting Suga's legs slide off his shoulders. He pulled at his boyfriend, dragging him into a sitting position on Daichi's thighs, his cock still deep inside Suga. "No sleeping."

Suga groaned at the change in angle, his head dropping backwards. "Faster, Daichi, more!"

Daichi was already giving him more, rocking his hips up into his boyfriend's pliant body. His mouth was on Suga's neck, teeth scraping against the pale skin. He could feel Suga's fingernails digging into the meat of his shoulders, lean body shuddering on his cock. 

"Daiiiii," he moaned. "Fuck! Oh, kiss me, kiss me." He dragged Daichi's face up and crashed their mouths together. He kissed him hard and thoroughly, breath hitching as the pace increased. He certainly seemed more awake and aware of his own cresting pleasure, and he worked a hand between them to wrap around his own cock, gasping into Daichi's mouth at the sensations. "I want you to come in me."

"God, yes," Daichi growled, driving hard into Suga. With a few more thrusts, he was spending deep inside Suga's body. He collapsed into a slump, barely holding Suga upright as he frantically worked himself to climax. They leaned against each other, breathing hard, for a few moments until Daichi was able to collect himself enough to lower them back down to the mattress. 

He stroked Suga's hair back off of his forehead and smoothed his hand down his back, luxuriating in the feel of his body. They kissed lazily, not quite ready to part yet, but time and physiology made that inevitable.

Suga made a soft sigh of protest when Daichi slipped out of him, and as Daichi reluctantly sat up with the intention of doing some clean up, he grabbed his arm. "Hey, Daichi," he said, his wide smile forming crinkles around his sleepy eyes. "Let's do it again."

Spluttering, Daichi retorted, "No!" And as Suga giggled to himself in their bed, he got up to fetch a cloth and some water. "You've done enough seduction for one night," he told Suga sternly. He gently wiped the cloth over his lover's body, gazing at him lovingly. "We're going to sleep now."

"Mmm," replied Suga, his eyes already closed. His body had relaxed under Daichi's touch, and he was breathing deep and even. "As long as you're with me," he murmured.

Daichi climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up over Suga and himself. He curled his big body around Suga and held him close. "Always."

*

He should be exhausted. The few days leading up to the wedding had been very long days, and today had been the longest yet. Fortunately, tomorrow… or… more accurately, later today, was not going to require much from him, and Asahi fully planned to take advantage of a rare day off. He was going to sleep in and lounge around and read his new novel and relax like he was one of the royals he served. 

But he was not particularly tired, despite the long day and the wine. The emotional toll of the stress and cake disaster had given him a lot of nervous energy. He paced around his room for a few minutes before deciding to get ahead on his day of decadence and visit the baths. That should help relax him enough to have a peaceful night of sleep. 

The big bathing room was deserted at this time of night, and he enjoyed the solitude as he rinsed off and slipped into the steaming water. Access to the baths was one of the highlights of living at the castle, in Asahi’s opinion, and he came here often. He had always been fastidious, so he appreciated the opportunity to keep clean. But also, baking could be hard work, physically. He was on his feet most of the day, lifting heavy bread paddles, kneading and kneading and kneading dough… it was nice to soak his muscles in the hot water. Especially as he often carried a lot of stress tension around on top of that. 

Despite the comforting warmth, he didn’t let himself linger too long in the baths. With the way his day had gone, he’d probably fall asleep and drown if he sat there very long. Reluctantly, he made his way back to his room, drying his long dark hair on a spare towel. 

His room wasn’t all that much to look at: a large bed piled with warm quilts, a small shelf of books, some keepsakes scattered atop his dresser, and a small table. But he smiled as he entered, for his gaze was drawn to the bunch of flowers he had placed into a cracked water ewer on the table. A beam of moonlight from the window illuminated the blooms, washing them in silvery light. He felt his heart swell at the sight of them. They may have been apology flowers, but they were _his_ , picked specifically for _him_. And that was something special. 

As he got into bed, snuggling down under his covers, his thoughts turned to the man who had given him the flowers. Yuu Nishinoya… he had liked him, if he was honest with himself. (And huddled in his bed in the dark was the only time he could be honest with himself.) There was something about him. He seemed to be everything Asahi was not: proud, confident, bold. And he had implied he wanted to see Asahi again. Of course, he almost certainly meant that as a politeness, or because he was interested in the act of baking, not Asahi specifically. He told himself that firmly. Nothing would come of it, he was sure. But for now… it was nice to think about. Reaching a long arm out from under the covers, he touched the velvety petals of his flowers. And he smiled.

*

Koutarou was known to many of the castle staff, as he was a common visitor, bringing the weapons he forged to the royal guards, and he had no trouble getting them put up for the night in one of the many guest rooms. It was not excessively lavish, not a room for the higher class of guest, but the furniture was good quality and sturdy. And Koutarou and Tetsurou were not especially picky. 

"Good job, Kou. You take such good care of me." Tetsu followed Kou into the room, turning to look around before draping himself over his boyfriend's back. His lips pressed against Kou's neck, whispering, "Now let me take care of _you_."

Kou groaned and arched back against him. "I've been waiting for you to say that all night."

Turning him, Tetsu kissed him hard. They moved together seamlessly, touches no less exciting for the familiarity. Their lifestyle had changed somewhat in the past couple of years, and it had been some time since Tetsu had been with Kou like this. Despite seeing Kou several times a week, he had missed this aspect of their relationship. He said as much. "I missed this," he said, dragging the shirt off of Kou's broad shoulders. "Fuck, I want you so bad."

"You can have me anytime you want," replied Kou, flinging the discarded linen across the room. He threaded his fingers through Tetsu's wild hair and pulled him back into a deep kiss. "I love you."

Grinning, Tetsu stooped slightly and bit one of Kou's defined pectoral muscles, palm cupping the other one. He dragged his thumb roughly across a nipple. 

"Don't tease me," whined Kou, pushing his chest harder against Tetsu's mouth. He was shifting from side to side, trying to kick off his boots. He was clearly eager to get on with things, and Tetsu could see the straining of his trousers. "Tetsu, pleeeeease."

"Didn't I tell you, I'd take care of you?" he asked. "Anything you want, my love."

"I want you to fuck me," said Koutarou, immediately. "I want you in me."

"Mmmmm," moaned Tetsu, standing upright again. "I would love to." He rested his forehead against Kou's, pressing a tiny kiss to his mouth. "But I doubt the royals stock their guest rooms with oil." 

"Tetsuuuu." Kou pressed his hips forward, rubbing his arousal against Tetsu's. "I need it."

"Kou, without any kind of lubrication or anything--"

"Oh, wait!" interrupted Koutarou. He broke out of Tetsu's embrace and dove for his jacket, rummaging in the pockets. "I have something." He beamed triumphantly as he held out a little square packet. 

Tetsu took it with some curiosity and gently massaged it between his fingers. "It's squishy. What is it?"

"Kenma gave it to me before we left. He said he's been working on… something. Something with plants or whatever. I didn't understand what he was talking about, honestly, but there's oil in there so we can fuck."

"Ah, our little Kenma. Sneaky witch." He took out his pocket knife and cut the corner off of the packet. Clear fluid oozed out of the opening, and he grinned at Koutarou. "Get those pants off."

Koutarou peeled off his trousers and climbed onto the bed, settling onto his knees and elbows, presenting his ass to Tetsu. Looking back over his shoulder, he gave Tetsu a pleading look. "Don't make me wait."

"Fuck." Kneeling behind him, Tetsu ran a palm over Kou's round backside, always reverentially awestruck by his boyfriend's excellent physique. "I'm going to give you a finger," he said, and he slowly inserted one oiled digit into Kou's ass. As he worked it in, stretching him languidly, he bent over Koutarou's back, pressing kisses to the knobs of his spine. One finger quickly became two, then three, and soon Kou was moaning into a pillow, thrusting back and begging for more.

"Gimme a minute," gasped Tetsu, withdrawing his fingers. He wanted to be nude for this, to feel Kou's hot skin against his own. He quickly disrobed, watching his boyfriend quiver on the bed while he waited. His cock was painfully hard, and he needed to be inside of Kou as quickly as possible. "This isn't going to last long," he warned Kou, slicking oil along his length. 

Koutarou huffed a laugh, peeking back at him, his hair falling in his eyes. "I think I have three more of those packets," he said.

"Oh?" asked Tetsu. "Is that a suggestion?"

"I'm just saying--mmpf--we… we have all night--" Koutarou broke off with a moan as Tetsu stilled, fully sheathed inside of him. "God, Tetsu, move! _Move!_ "

"You got it." It didn't take much to convince him, as he was dripping with sweat, his muscles straining to hold himself still. "I hope these walls are thick, because I'm gonna make you scream." Despite his words, though, he was still mindful of the fact that Kou probably hadn't been fucked in a while, as Keiji usually preferred to be on the receiving end of things. He started off by rocking his hips, building up speed with each thrust until he was nearly pulling out completely before slamming back inside.

Kou's guttural groans were increasing in volume, and while he wasn't quite screaming, Tetsu thought it was close enough. "Fuck, Kou," he moaned, his hips snapping. "Shit."

"Right there, right-- yes!" Koutarou's knuckles were white where they were clenched in the bedsheets, and he writhed against the pillow, his hair a wild tangle. 

Tetsu wasn't holding back, and Kou was pushing back against him, meeting every thrust. "I'm close," he panted. "Kou, I'm gonna come!"

"Do it then," whined Koutarou, shifting his weight to one shoulder so that he could get a hand down to his own weeping erection. "Tetsu, Tetsuuuuu..."

Gritting his teeth, he thrust sharply a few more times before shuddering jerkily, his release rolling over him. 

A moment or so later, he felt Kou tighten around him in his own climax, and he pressed a kiss to his lover's damp shoulders. As Kou's spasms subsided, Tetsu eased out of him carefully and gently maneuvered him to a more comfortable position. "You okay?"

"Mmm, I think so." He had a dazed expression on his face, blearily trying to focus on his lover. Reaching up, he drew lazy fingers through Tetsu's hair, pushing it back off his forehead. "I love you."

Tetsu smiled softly at him. "Yeah. I love you, too." He leaned in for a kiss.

After cleaning up, they had curled up together for a post-coital cuddle, but after a few minutes, Koutarou had extracted himself to go and find the fancy castle loos. 

Alone now, and somewhat bored, Tetsu wriggled out of the warm spot and leaned off the side of the bed to rummage around in his discarded clothes. His fingers grazed cool metal, and he reached just a little further to grasp the round, hinged mirror. He grunted in triumph and then hauled himself back into the bed, pulling the heavy cover over himself again.

Opening the case, he held the mirror close to his face and breathed hot air against the glass until his reflection was obscured. “Kenma,” he whispered clearly. He had only ever contacted Kenma in this way, but he still had a slight fear that he might mumble and accidentally call the wrong mirror and scare some poor housemaid or something. 

The condensation cleared, and he stared at the dark, opaque surface for a moment, waiting for Kenma to answer his summons. It wasn’t long before Kenma’s answering mirror came into focus, giving Tetsu a very brief view of his lover lounging against pillows, long golden hair loose around his shoulders… but then a shadow fell across the image and he could see nothing again. “Kenma? What--?” He shook the little mirror slightly, as if that would help. 

“Back up, Shouyou,” he heard faintly. “I want to see, too.”

Tetsu realized that the shadow was, in fact, their son’s chin, as he leaned over the mirror on Kenma’s lap. He had a glimpse of bright eyes and orange hair as Shouyou moved. 

“Who is it, Mama?”

“I think it’s Tetsu.”

“TETSU!” shrieked Shouyou enthusiastically.

Tetsu smiled to himself, feeling his heart swell in his chest, even as Kenma shushed the little boy. 

“Not so loud, Shouyou. Keiji’s sleeping.”

A quiet gasp was audible, and while Tetsu couldn’t see him, he could visualize his son holding his hands over his mouth dramatically. 

“Let’s go get in the other bed so that we can talk to Tetsu without waking Keiji,” suggested Kenma, already moving. 

“My bed?” 

“No, Shou, the big one.”

“THE BIG BED.”

Kenma gave Tetsu a weary look through the mirror, which he carried with him. “He is feeling much better.”

“I can see that,” Tetsu chuckled. 

“Where’s Kou?” he asked. “And can’t you light a candle or something? I can barely see you.”

Tetsu stuffed a pillow behind his back, propping himself up more comfortably. “He went to see if the toilets were made of gold or not. And he took our lamp with him.”

Kenma snorted. “That would hardly be practical. Gold is a soft metal.”

Grinning, Tetsu said, “That’s what I told him, but he insisted.”

“Did you have a good time?” asked Kenma. “Scoot over, Shou.”

“We did,” said Tetsu. “Very decadent.” He watched as Kenma swept his hair off of his shoulders to hang down his back. “I miss you, though.”

He saw the smile flicker over Kenma’s face. “Mmm, that’s why I didn’t go.” Well, that and the fact that there was going to be so many people there. “I like you to have a chance to miss me every once in a while.”

“Mean.”

“Plus, I’m glad you and Kou got a chance to spend some time together. It had been a while, right?”

“Yeah, it was good.”

“Mama, I wanna see, too!”

Kenma pulled Shouyou into his lap, adjusting the mirror so that it showed both of them. 

“Where is he, Mama? I don’t see him.”

“That’s because it’s dark there, and he doesn’t have a light.”

“Are you scared, Tetsu?”

“No, Sprout, just sleepy. I just wanted to see you and your mama before bed.”

Kenma’s eyes narrowed at Tetsu’s use of the unfortunate nickname. But he didn’t say anything. 

“So Mama can tell you a story?” asked Shouyou, who was a notorious bedtime story fiend. “He’s gonna tell me about the volcano tonight!”

“He slept most of the day, which is why he’s still awake,” explained Kenma. “His fever is gone, though. Except now poor Keiji isn’t feeling well.”

“I gaved him the germs,” announced Shouyou proudly. 

“Oh, did you now?” Tetsu was laughing when the door opened, letting in Koutarou and the light from the candlestick he was holding. 

“Tetsu! I see you!” 

Koutarou’s face lit up at the sound of the little piping voice. “Is that my Shouyou??” he asked, setting the candle on the bedside table and coming around to lean against Tetsu and look over his shoulder.

“MY DADDY!”

“What are you doing up so late?” asked Koutarou, obviously not that concerned about it. “How are your sniffles?”

“They’re all gone, Daddy!”

“We’re getting ready to go back to sleep,” said Kenma, smoothing down Shouyou’s wild hair.

“You come, too, Daddy,” commanded Shouyou. “There’s room in the big bed.”

Kou smiled at him. “I’ll be there tomorrow, Shou. Tonight I have to stay here with Tetsu.”

“He has to protect me,” added Tetsu. “I might get scared if I’m by myself.”

Shouyou appeared to be considering that and seemed to decide it was satisfactory. “Keiji says we can make cookies tomorrow, and I can help!”

“If…?” prompted Kenma.

“If I wash my hands!” agreed Shouyou. 

“Wow, that’ll be fun,” said Koutarou. “You make me your best cookies, baby, and we’ll eat them when we get home.”

“Mmm better make a lot,” added Tetsu. “If I get too hungry, I might gobble you up instead!”

Shouyou laughed in delight. “Tetsu!” 

Kenma had been watching this exchange in silence, his loving gaze moving back and forth between Tetsu and Koutarou in the mirror. “I think you’re all being silly,” he said, his tone mild and soft. “And silly boys need their rest.”

“Awww,” chorused Shouyou and Koutarou in unison. 

“Say ‘goodnight’, Shouyou.”

“G’niiiiiiiiiight,” sang Shouyou, flopping to the side dramatically. 

“Goodnight, Shouyou, I love you,” said Koutarou. 

From out of sight, somewhere to the side of Kenma, Shouyou made some very exaggerated, unconvincing snoring sounds. 

Tetsu nudged Koutarou. “He gets that from you.” Kou grumbled something unintelligible, but Tetsu didn’t let him protest. “Night night, Sprout. Love you. And I love you, too, Mama.”

Kenma gave him a look that promised punishment later. “Goodnight, Weirdo.”

“GOODNIGHT WEIRDO!” echoed Shouyou, still unseen.

Shaking his head sadly, Tetsu asked, “See what you’ve done to our son?”

Sticking out his tongue, Kenma said, “See you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you, Kenmaaaaa,” said Koutarou, making a kissy face at the mirror. 

Kenma rolled his eyes (while smiling) and shut his mirror, severing the connection. 

Tetsu set aside his own mirror and leaned back into Koutarou’s embrace. “Did you find the fancy toilets?”

“They weren’t fancy!” exclaimed Koutarou, with some annoyance. “They were just regular!”

“At least they have toilets,” laughed Tetsu. 

Koutarou’s mouthed his grumbles into the back of Tetsu’s neck, causing him to shiver. “We should probably sleep,” he said, though one arm was reaching back to hold Kou close to him. 

“But now I’m all awake.” Koutarou shifted so that his knee was between Tetsu’s thighs, pressing hard against his body. His mouth continued its journey upwards and settled into lavishing attention on Tetsu’s ears. 

“Mmm, is that for me?” asked Tetsu, rolling his hips back against Kou’s. 

“It _is_ my turn.”

*

Akiteru had begun blushing when they had said their goodnights in the ballroom, and he hadn't stopped even when the door closed behind them, leaving them alone in their bedroom. 

Saeko squeezed his hand. "Hi," she said, softly.

"Hi." He smiled. 

"Come here," she said, tugging at him. "I want my husband to kiss me."

He closed the distance between them, gently pulling her close and pressing his mouth to hers. 

She relaxed against him for a moment, looping her arms around his neck and enjoying the soft movement of his lips. It felt almost odd to be alone with him like this, with no one looking for them or urgently needing something. They weren't going to be interrupted. "Aki," she said, breaking the kiss with a little gasp. "Are you nervous?"

"Uh. Yes," he said, with a half smile. "I mean, I'm pretty much always nervous, but in this specific case… yes." He pressed his lips together, trying to resist the urge to look away. He was going to be king eventually, and yet he was admitting that he was nervous about making love to his wife on their wedding night. Though, of all people to admit it to, he supposed Saeko was the best person. 

"It does feel a little weird," she admitted. "I've barely seen you for the past couple of weeks, and now suddenly, we're married." She smiled at him, reaching up to press a palm against his heated cheek. "Come over here and talk to me for a little while," she said. Picking up her skirts, she led him over to the bed. Their bed… but she just kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the middle, patting the space next to her expectantly. 

Dropping his expensive boots, he joined her, though he had to rearrange her skirts somewhat in order to be anywhere near her. "This thing is massive," he commented, trying to suppress an attack by some rogue tulle. 

"Isn't it a nightmare?" she giggled. "I'm glad I don't have to wear dresses like this all the time."

"I… I liked it, though. You looked wonderful. You _look_ wonderful," he amended. 

"Thank you," she replied. "But I don't think I'll be wearing it again." Sighing slightly, she leaned backwards, slowly sinking into the fabric of her dress to lie on her back. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?" She turned her face so that she could look at Akiteru. "A good day."

"I don't think I was really prepared for how many people there would be," he confessed. He settled back to mirror her position. "I… I'm glad that you were there with me."

"Well, if I wasn't, it wouldn't have been much of a wedding," she laughed. "But I know what you mean. We make a good team." Her smile softened, and she reached to take his hand, twining their fingers together. "I'm glad I married you, Aki."

"So am I. But, um..." He shifted his gaze down to their joined hands. "I don't think… I don't really understand why. Er, why you chose me. To marry." 

"Oh, Aki," said Saeko, watching him. "You're a catch. Every girl in this kingdom knows that."

"Oh," he said, looking kind of surprised. "But there are lots of other kingdoms, and other princes, or even dukes or… or… whatever. You could have had anyone."

"I didn't want _anyone_." She looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. "It's… it's a big decision, choosing a partner, especially for a woman. It's one time when we get a little bit of a choice, and this choice can dictate the rest of our lives. Some girls want a rich husband, or a handsome husband, or one with lots of land… I wanted a good husband. One who would treat me like a wife. Not a pretty statue to be seen and not heard, or just a vessel for children… and you were always kind, and listened to me, and… I thought you would be a good husband."

Akiteru was looking at her, and he very solemnly brought their joined hands up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I'll try my best."

"I know," she said, her deep brown eyes soft with affection. "And when we spent more time together, I started to like you. I really do, Aki."

"I really like you, too." He gazed back at her for a moment, then he cleared his throat and sat up. "You, uh, you look kind of uncomfortable in that. Do you want… do you want to take it off?" His face was turning red again, and he was only half looking at her, through his eyelashes.

"Oh, God, yes," she replied, trying to push herself upright. "I-- If I can..."

"Here," he said, taking her hands and helping her. She half slid, half stumbled off the bed and into his arms. 

"Thanks," she said, not stepping away. Her palms rested on his shoulders, and she studied his face for a moment. She may have chosen him for his personality, but she was absolutely not disappointed with his looks. His skin flushed so prettily, and his features were strong but soft, an intense contrast to the sharp planes of her own face. His wide caramel eyes looked a little dazed, and his parted lips were the perfect invitation for a kiss. So she leaned in and kissed him. 

This kiss was different. No more slow, tentative slide of lips. It was hungry and bruising. She had kissed him like this earlier, but it had been brief, a snatched moment of alone time before rejoining the party. She took her time now, exploring him, tasting him, feeling the way his arms tightened around her. His breath was hot on her cheeks as they broke apart for air, and she laughed breathlessly as his mouth immediately found her neck. He was a fast learner. 

"Mmm, that feels nice," she said. "But I _do_ want to get out of this dress." Pulling back slightly, she turned around, presenting her back to him, and she pulled her elaborate blonde plait out of the way over her shoulder. "Unlace me?" she asked. 

It was a sufficiently straightforward lacing that he should be unable to loosen her bodice without any assistance from a lady's maid or any experience, but he still hesitated. She waited, not looking at him, as he slowly pulled at the silk ribbons that held her dress tightly against her body. And that was fine, until he brushed some stray waves of hair out of the way and she could feel the trembling of his fingers. "Wait," she said. "Stop."

Immediately, his hands were gone. She turned back around, half tangled in her skirts, to face him. "Aki," she said, taking his hands in hers. "Do you want this?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "Do you want me? Like, physically?" Sexually, she meant, and it was ridiculous that she felt like she couldn't say that to her husband. It was frustrating, because this was not how she had pictured her wedding night, but their whole engagement and wedding had been a negotiation so far, and she supposed it only made sense that their wedding night would just continue that trend. 

No, that was too harsh. She felt like she was coming to know Akiteru, and she didn't think he would let their marriage be a formal arrangement. She didn't know what he _did_ want, though, and she thought it was time to discuss that before they went any further. They should have discussed it ages ago, but somehow--and not for the first time, she suspected--his wants had not come up in the discussion. At once, she found it endearing that he was so selfless and upsetting that he let other people walk over him. Well, that would stop now that she was in the picture. And the first step was to find out what he wanted. From her. Right now. 

"I..." he began, looking down at their joined hands. "I do want you." 

She didn't respond, giving him room to elaborate. 

"I like you a lot, and I think you're… gorgeous… and I like it when we're kissing," he said quickly. Then he pressed his lips together firmly, like he was trying to hold back more. "I, er, I am nervous," he said again. "I don't, uh… have a lot of experience, and I..." He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't like disappointing people."

"Aki," she said softly. "Why would I be disappointed?"

"I don't know," he said, his voice full of misery and frustration. "I pictured this night many times, and every time, I was a lot more… sophisticated, or smooth, or… whatever. And instead, I'm here babbling and I can't even unlace your dress properly!"

"That's fine, Aki!" she told him. "I want you to tell me things like this!" She squeezed his hands reassuringly. "We should have talked about these things before, but with moving the wedding and everything, we never got the chance. I feel the same way, honestly." Releasing his hands, she shuffled forward to wrap her arms around him in a loose embrace. "It's not what I pictured, either, but that doesn't mean it can't be good. We're here together. I want to be with you," she said, looking up at him. "But I want you to be comfortable and enjoy it."

He took a deep breath and nodded. 

"It's our first time together," she told him. "So it doesn't matter how experienced we are or aren't, because I don't know what you like, and you don't know what I like. But we can learn together, right?"

"Yeah," he breathed, smiling shakily. "Yeah, we have the rest of our lives to learn each other."

She smiled back at him. "I don't think it'll take you that long. And I don't think you'll ever disappoint me."

"I'll do my best," he promised, and he stooped slightly to meet her in a kiss. 

When they broke apart, they were both smiling, and he was able to finish unlacing her enough for her to step out of the clouds of silk and lace and tulle. That left her in her stays and the small, loose shorts she wore as undergarments. The corset piece had been a bridal gift, elaborately embroidered in silvery thread, and not as supportive as an everyday sort of garment, more decorative than functional. Her breasts were barely contained and, fortunately, it was loose enough around the ribs that she was able to breathe easily. In fact, when she took a deep breath of relief, her chest rose with the movement, and she was extremely pleased to see that his eyes were drawn to it. 

"You're behind," she said, resting her hands on her hips. There was a gleam in her dark eyes as her gaze ran over him. "Care to even things out?"

"Ah, of course," he stammered, dragging his eyes away from her cleavage long enough to unbutton his jacket and peel it down his arms. The soft linen shirt was next, then his undershirt, and after a moment's minor hesitation, he unfastened his trousers and stepped out of them. 

The loose fabric of his undershorts were somewhat strained at the moment, but Saeko didn't give him a chance to be embarrassed about that. She pressed close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his hands mapping the curve of her waist and up the planes of her back. 

He kissed her, and she felt it in her whole body. She wanted to be closer, to feel all of him. Moaning into his mouth, she leaned backwards, pulling him along, maintaining contact, until she felt the bed behind her. His knee came up and braced against the mattress, lowering her down almost gently and then pressing his body firmly on top of her. 

"Mmm, Aki," she whined, using her thigh to keep his hips tight against hers. "God, yes."

His mouth returned to her neck, making her squirm. And his fingers were making their way up her thigh, feeling very sure of themselves now, without the slightest tremble. 

Fuck, this was more like it. She dragged his face back up to hers for a fierce kiss, then she tumbled them over so that he was flat on his back with her astride his hips. He looked surprised at the change of position, which was gratifying, but more importantly, he looked thoroughly debauched, with his honey hair tousled and his lips wet and red from kisses. 

She settled herself more firmly against him, watching him with her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. His hands were resting on her legs, thumbs gently stroking the soft skin of her inner thighs. "I like that," she said. "I like… you exploring my body."

"Yeah?" His thumbs shifted ever so slightly towards the hem of her small shorts. "Should I keep going?"

"If you want." She sighed as he slowly caressed his way up her legs, his fingers slipping under the soft fabric. His touch was cautious, curious, slowly stroking each inch of her. It felt wonderful, and she murmured encouragement. The look on his face was reverential, and his fingers became more confident, caressing her more firmly. "Mmm, like that. Yes." 

Reaching down, she guided his motions, shaping his hand so that a finger was circling the wetness at her opening. It slid in slowly, stroking her from the inside, and she moaned. Her head dropped backwards, eyes clenched shut, chest heaving as he teased her pleasure higher and higher. It was almost enough. Taking his other hand, she pressed his thumb against her clit, her whole body jolting slightly at the rush of sensation. The pleasure rose and crested as he gently moved his fingers, and she shuddered through it. After a moment, it became too much, and she pushed at his hands. Obediently, he brought them back to rest on her thighs, now slightly sticky against her sensitive skin. 

"Wow," he said, softly. 

She laughed breathlessly. "Wow? I should be the one saying that!"

"No, it was… wow," he repeated. 

"It really was," she agreed. She sat there another moment, recovering and getting her breath back, and then she shifted off of him, coming to lay on her side next to him. Cupping a hand around his jaw, she kissed him tenderly. "Now it's my turn," she murmured. 

He was already breathing heavily, and she enjoyed how responsive he was to her touch. She trailed kisses along his jaw and neck as her hand made its way down his chest, the sparse blond hair getting thicker and coarser as she neared her goal. "I'm going to touch you," she murmured in his ear, giving it a nip with her teeth. "Is that okay?"

"God, yes," he said, reaching for her and dragging her into a kiss. He moaned into her mouth as her fingers dipped into his shorts and tentatively wrapped around his hard cock. 

Her movements were awkward, unused to the feel of him or the movement, but he wasn't exactly complaining. She felt like she could be doing better, though, so she shifted a bit closer, taking her hand away from his erection so she could lift her breasts out of the top of her corset. That got his attention. "Aki," she said, stroking her fingers along his abdomen, feeling the muscles contract under her touch. "Will you show me how you like it?"

He nodded, dazedly staring at her tits. Wiggling, he shimmied his undershorts down and kicked them off, leaving him flushed and exposed. Her fingers reached for his cock again, and his hand wrapped around hers, their joined fingers firmly stroking him. Saeko kissed him hard, throwing her leg over his and pressing up against him. His limbs were tense, and he was moving her hand faster over him. He was moaning again, which made it difficult to kiss him, so she moved her mouth to his neck, sucking hard on the place where it met his shoulder. He choked out something unintelligible and his body jerked against her before going rigid, cock spurting his release. 

Shuddering a little bit, his chest heaving, he let go of her hand and collapsed back into the pillows. She held her hand awkwardly away from herself, as it was covered in… fluids… and pressed soft kisses to his mouth until his breathing evened out. "Was it good for you?" she asked, smirking. 

He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners as his head lolled toward her on the pillow. It was ridiculous how her breath caught at the easy joy in his face. "I think that much is obvious," he said. 

"Mmm," she said, wrinkling her nose at her sticky fingers. "I think we need to clean up a little before we sleep." 

"Probably," he yawned. But he made no move to get up until she dragged him out of bed after her. "All right, all right," he said, shuffling over to the pitcher and pouring some cool water into the basin. He wiped himself down in a perfunctory manner before flopping back onto the bed. He opened one eye as something soft hit him in the face. They were clean shorts, and he propped himself up a little bit to see his wife, nude and lovely, pulling a loose nightgown over her head.

A moment later, she had extinguished the lamps and was climbing under the covers next to him. Smiling at her efficiency, he pulled on the clean shorts and joined her, his body curling around hers. She sighed happily as he embraced her from behind. But then… 

"Aki, what are you doing?" Her tone was amused, if exasperated. 

"Just feeling..." he said, pressing his smile into her shoulder as he cupped her breast. "You said you liked it when I explore."

"Tomorrow," she promised, "you can explore more. Goodnight, Aki." She pulled his hand up to drop a kiss on his palm. 

"Goodnight, dear."

*

This had always been his room, since he was a child and visiting his cousins over the summer, and while it had changed quite a bit over the years, he still felt comfortable and safe here. This was his oasis, his hiding place from everything happening in his own kingdom. When he came here, he was just a visitor, with no responsibility or duty or expectations. Here, he could just… be. Only, he felt like he was losing the ability to separate himself from his title and reputation. Who was he supposed to be when no one was looking? He couldn't remember. 

He had cultivated many princely images to be deployed in various situations, and Brooding Prince was one of them. Lately, though, he found himself brooding far more often, and sometimes he wasn't even doing it on purpose. And if he wasn't putting it on for someone else's benefit, to attract attention and sway loyalties, then what was the point? 

He was not good at being left alone. That was why he was developing a reputation as a dissolute, or whatever they were calling him now. He didn't care. (He did, but he didn't want to.) He would rather have company in his bed than stew alone in his thoughts night after night. It wasn't a great system, but it was working for him. Sort of. 

Some solitude was unavoidable, especially when his partner wanted to clean up after sex. He was lounging back against the pillows, soft linen sheets pulled up over his lower body, especially covering his right leg, and brooding. There was a thick tapestry covering the opposite wall, meant to comfort him and remind him of his home, but it had always seemed like a fantasy escape rather than the reality of his home. It was full of rich blues and purples and greens, woven to form an underwater scene full of fish and sea creatures and curious looking plants. As a child, Tooru remembered dreaming about being a merman and escaping into it to explore it for himself. It had been a long time since he had thought of that, and he was trying to remember how to fantasize like that. 

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Hmm?" He turned to see Yuuji climbing back onto the bed, Tooru's expensive silk dressing gown slipping off one shoulder. The other man was somewhat tousled but bright eyed and perky, as though he was showing up for a garden party instead of returning to a lover's bed. 

"You looked like you were doing some serious thinking," said Yuuji, flopping next to Tooru, his chin in his hand. "I'm giving you a chance to talk about whatever it is. Since we're friends, and all."

"Oh, are we?" asked Tooru, amused. 

"Uh, yeah." Yuuji rolled his eyes. "We've fucked on two separate occasions. That makes us friends."

Tooru didn't particularly want to talk about his problems, so he petulantly latched onto this loophole of logic. "That's not how making friends works!"

"How would you know?" retorted Yuuji. "Do you even have real friends? Besides _me_ now?"

"I do!" Slightly offended, Tooru huffed and tried to think of his friends. "There's Makki and Mattsun..."

"Aren't those your guards?"

"Well… yes, but they're my friends, too. Sort of." He was friendlier with them than with any of the other people in the palace that was his home, but there was a distinction of rank between them. Mattsun and Makki were good at their jobs, so it didn't normally come up, but he didn't feel like he could truly share everything with them. Without the separation of rank, he supposed…. "Oh, Akiteru and Kei are my friends. Yes, yes, they're my cousins, too," he rushed out, heading off Yuuji's protest. "But you can be friends with cousins!" 

"Mmhmm," hummed Yuuji, doubtfully. 

"And Sae-chan!" said Tooru. "Oh, and Suga! Sugawara, the healer here! He's my friend, and he's not my guard or my cousin!" Aha! He won. He smirked smugly at Yuuji.

"Did you sleep with him?"

"No, unfortunately, he's very taken. And I suspect our preferences wouldn't align right, anyway," admitted Tooru. "Plus, he wants to settle down and play house."

"And you don't?"

Tooru laughed drily. "Please… Me? Kids? Playing the doting father and husband? I don't think so."

Frowning, Yuuji asked, "But isn't that what you'll have to do when you're king?"

Tooru hesitated. "Well, maybe. It's complicated. Things… haven't gone the way we expected them to go," he said, his expression cagey. His accident was common knowledge, and he had just been naked with Yuuji, so he was sure he had seen the scars, but he still didn't like to talk about it. Or about how it changed things within his family. 

"Ah," said Yuuji. That was all he said, but somehow, Tooru felt almost like he understood. Shit, were they friends now? That was not what he had intended when he invited Yuuji to his room. Despite his 'proof' to the contrary, he didn't do that well with maintaining friends, and he hoped Yuuji wasn't going to put obligations on him that he couldn't meet. 

He looked over at Yuuji and saw that he was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling. This was the quietest Tooru had seen him, and it was a little unnerving. "Er… whatcha thinking about?" he asked, echoing Yuuji's previous question.

"You," he replied, tucking an arm behind his head. 

"Oh." Tooru was not expecting that, and he didn't really like the sound of it. "Er, Yuuji.. I, uh..."

"Don't be stupid," scoffed Yuuji, finally looking him in the eye. "I'm not some swooning maiden who's going to tell you that you make me all quivery inside or something. I'm not trying to be your lover, Tooru. Just your friend."

"That fuck around sometimes," pointed out Tooru.

"Well, of course." Yuuji grinned. "No, but I was thinking about you. And… I think your family would be monumentally foolish if they don't make you the king."

Tooru blinked in surprise. 

"I think you'll be a great king," added Yuuji. "You're thoughtful and clever and thorough. You pay attention to everyone around you. And I'm sure that there are lots more things that will make you a good king..."

This was strangely touching, and Tooru didn't know what to say.

"Plus, I want to be able to tell people that I once sucked the king's dick," added Yuuji with a sly smile, the silver stud in his tongue clicking over his teeth. 

Tooru choked on a laugh. "Well, I don't want to make a liar of you," he said, gesturing to his mostly nude body. 

With a grin, Yuuji squirmed his way over and pulled away the sheet. 

*

His head was in some turmoil as he made his way back to his room, and he nearly turned the wrong way a couple of times. On the one hand, he was happy that his sister was married and seemed to be pleased with the husband she chose. But then… the hoots and hollers as the newly married couple left only served to remind Ryuu that his sister was likely having sex right now. And he didn’t particularly care for that. 

He wasn’t a prude, or anything, but she was his only sister, and he felt strongly about defending her honor. It was going to be difficult for his mind to accept that no one would call her names or shit talk her for having sex now that she was married. Plus… just yuck. He didn’t want to think about his sister doing… things. She could do them all she wanted, but he just didn’t want to know about it. And that prince bastard better treat her right. Or else he would have to answer to Ryuu.

The maid had left a fire burning in the grate, but the rest of the room was dark and shadowy. So he thought nothing of kicking off his boots and beginning his night time routine. He definitely wasn’t expecting to hear a disembodied voice, and really, anyone would have shrieked like that.

“His name is Asahi.”

“Holy fucking--!” Ryuu clutched at his chest, trying to slow his suddenly racing heart. His shirt was tangled around his arms, as he had been in the process of disrobing when he was scared half to death. “Yuu, shit, what are you doing here??” And, catching up to what he heard, he added, “Whose name?”

Noya rolled over so that the firelight illuminated his face as he sprawled across Ryuu’s bed. “The baker guy.”

“Oh,” said Ryuu, feeling his tensed muscles relax. It was not that unusual for Noya to stay in his room, especially if he had something he wanted to talk about, and now that he was sure that he wasn’t about to be murdered or attacked by some mysterious creature, he continued to undress. “Did you go talk to him? I wondered where you disappeared to.”

“Yeah, I snuck out and picked some flowers from some ratty old garden and then climbed the wall to the kitchen yard.”

Ryuu sighed inwardly, aware that this account was not going to be impressive to anyone who wanted his friend to be on better behaviour. 

“And he was there talking to some pretty guy, the healer or whoever, and I gave him the flowers and apologized and talked to him for a minute and said I might go back sometime and see him.” Noya’s voice was a constant stream as he relayed his encounter, but then he paused. “Ryuu, he was crazy hot.”

Trying to conjure up a face to go with this ‘baker guy’, Ryuu smirked as he joined Noya on the bed, shoving his friend over to make room. “Oh, yeah, you do like ‘em big, huh?”

“Oh, fuck, yes, I want them to be able to snap me like a twig.”

Ryuu shook his head, smiling at his friend’s peculiar tastes. “Then how come you’re in my bed and not his?”

“Ah,” said Noya, picking at imaginary lint on the blanket. “Well, I couldn’t very well just jump on him. He seems like a sensitive type.”

“Oooh,” said Ryuu, sympathetically. “Better luck next time.”

“What?!” demanded Noya, sitting up and puffing his chest out in affront. “You don’t think I can get a sensitive guy??”

“Not really,” replied Ryuu. He yawned, unconcerned about Noya's love life, or lack thereof. "You're too loud. You scare sensitive people." 

"WHAT?"

"See?" Curling up on his side, he tucked his hands underneath his cheek. 

".....oh." Noya flopped back down on the blanket, lying there unmoving for a few minutes. 

Ryuu was almost asleep and nearly missed Noya's soft voice in the darkness. "Hmm?" he asked, opening one eye to peer towards his best friend. 

"I said, but what if I want to anyway?" repeated Noya, scooting closer and mirroring Ryuu's position. "I think I do, Ryuu."

"Is it just because I said you couldn't?" Ryuu asked. 

"No, I don't think so… but you might be right," sighed Noya. "I'm not good at gentle courting. You have to help me!"

Yawning again, Ryuu nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight. You're a good friend, Ryuu."

"I know."

*

As they neared his bedchamber, Kei started to get nervous. Even though he had assured Tadashi that nothing needed to happen between them, this was still a step forward in their relationship. He was letting Tadashi into his rooms, his semi-private places, where he relaxed and didn’t worry about gossip or diplomacy. (The servants came in every once in a while, so it wasn’t strictly private, but outside of locking himself in there, it was the most privacy he got.) And it felt intimate, that he was inviting Tadashi in to see all of his treasured belongings and the place he felt most at home. He didn’t really have any secrets, so there was no real reason to be nervous, but there was always a _chance_ that Tadashi wouldn’t like it, or would laugh at some of his keepsakes. Of course, later on, he would realize how silly that idea was, but logic wasn’t the winning emotion here. 

“Um, this is my room,” he said, pushing open the heavy door. 

His bedroom was cozy, with a fire in the stone fireplace and sconces full of fresh candles. The stonework had very few decorations, as Kei wasn’t partial to clutter, but there were a few paintings depicting scenes of the kingdom, including the mountain they had climbed together. Furniture of dark wood was well-worn and clearly used regularly, including a writing desk near the big windows and a large four poster bed with heavy deep red curtains tied at the posts. A huge, richly patterned rug was covering most of the floor, and there were shelves of books lining the wall to one side of the bed. 

Kei watched Tadashi take all this in, fighting the urge to babble nonsense in his nervousness, and he stayed silent as his boyfriend slowly moved farther into the room. He paused with the toes of his boots at the edge of the rug, bending over to unhook the ties and loosen the leather enough to step out of them before continuing. Some of his nerves settled at this act of thoughtfulness from Tadashi, even though he hadn’t asked for it. This was his Tadashi, and there was a reason he was letting him through his barriers. He ditched his own boots, following Tadashi as he wandered.

Tadashi stopped, predictably, in front of a large ceramic urn that held a scraggly rough tree. “Oh, dear,” he said, looking somewhat concerned. 

“What?” asked Kei, glancing back and forth from the plant to his boyfriend. “Is there something wrong with having that?” He didn’t know where it had come from, or if it was poisonous or anything. “It just showed up here one day. I figured my mother had told the maids to add some plant life. She thinks I don’t spend enough time outside,” he confessed, aware that the babbling was back.

“No, it’s fine here,” Tadashi assured him. “It’s just a hawthorn tree. But it’s… not doing so well.” 

Now that he was looking at it, the leaves did seem rather pale and wilty, and a little bit on the brown side… but it was autumn, after all. “Oh.”

Tadashi was stroking his fingers up the rough bark and along the thin branches. “It’s being over watered. And it needs more sun. Here,” he said, stooping to get a grip on the lip of the urn. “Help me move it closer to that window.”

Bemused, Kei followed orders, and in a few moments, they had the plant situated in an alcove, under a window where it should get as much of the weak sunlight as possible. It didn’t help at the moment, being nighttime, but Tadashi looked satisfied. He reached out and pet the sad leaves. “There. That’ll be better, won’t it, sweetheart?”

Kei could swear that the branches were leaning into him, like a cat eager for affection, and he didn’t want to analyze why that made him all warm inside. 

“It should really be planted outside come spring,” added Tadashi, looking at him now. 

Leaning against the stone wall, Kei watched the moonlight play over Tadashi’s freckled cheeks. “You know, I didn’t invite you here to fondle my plants.”

“Oh?” laughed Tadashi, stepping away from the little tree. “What did you want me to fondle?”

“Tadashi!” spluttered Kei, startled at the directness. “I--I didn’t--!” He had told his boyfriend before that he had no intention of jumping him like he had in the kitchens. That had not been very princely behaviour, and he had seen how shaken Tadashi had been afterwards. He had no problem with moving slowly when it came to physical intimacy. That was easy to tell himself, but it was difficult to remember why exactly, especially when Tadashi was pressing closer, into his personal space. “Tadashi, don’t worry,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “We don’t have to do anything tonight.”

“I’m not worried,” murmured Tadashi. “And what if I want to?”

Oh. Well. That changed things somewhat. His hands came up to settle on Tadashi’s hips, not quite pulling him against Kei’s body. “You, er, want to?” he asked, unable to quell the flush that was rising in his skin at the thought.

“Yeah,” he whispered back. His hands slid up the delicate embroidery on Kei’s tunic, crossing behind his neck and pulling his face down so that Tadashi could kiss him. 

Their lips had barely met when Tadashi suddenly pulled back. “Wait,” he said, and Kei yanked his hands back as if he had been burned. “No, it’s just… um… you don’t have, like, servants bursting in without warning or anything, do you?” he asked, looking nervously at the door. “Just… last time… that baker guy saw us, and… um.”

“Oh,” said Kei. Had that been the only thing that had bothered Tadashi? Did he not actually object to Kei jumping him, but only that they had not had privacy? “Um, they shouldn’t, but… Look,” he said, crossing to the small table by his bedside and retrieving a heavy key. He went to the door and turned the key in the lock, leaving it there. “There. No one can come in,” he said, looking to see if this met Tadashi’s approval. 

Tadashi had followed him partly across the room and was peering around one of the bedposts, watching Kei secure their privacy. “Okay,” he said. His fingers spread out on the soft bedcover, and he glanced up at Kei through his dark eyelashes. 

Kei didn’t need much seduction, and in two strides, he was back at Tadashi’s side, pulling him close and kissing him. Tadashi’s hands were immediately on him, firmly stroking up his spine and holding on tightly. 

They fit together so perfectly, and Kei marvelled at the way Tadashi’s slim frame felt in his arms, like it was made for him to hold. He thought he could almost believe in fate at times like this because if there was such a thing, he had surely found his match. It was almost overwhelming, as Kei had never expected such a feeling of sublime fulfillment. His mother had been introducing him to suitors for years, and there was every chance that he was going to get stuck with whoever he found least terrible, as many of his peers had. But to have someone like Tadashi? Someone he enjoyed, who made him feel like he had never been whole until they met? That had been beyond fantasy… and yet, here was Tadashi in his arms, stroking his fingers through Kei’s hair. 

He was so full of emotion, and he was alarmed to find his eyes starting to well up with tears. No. He absolutely could not cry when he was about to make love to Tadashi. Tadashi, being sweet, gentle, and kind, would probably be very understanding, but it would definitely ruin the mood. And he _wanted_ this. When would he next have the chance to take Tadashi to bed? They had already discussed their busy schedules and the fact that both had commitments they had to honor. He couldn’t keep Tadashi here with him forever, so he had to make the most of tonight… to tide him over during the times they would be apart. 

“Are you okay?” Tadashi asked, his voice soft and low. “You’re very tense.”

Kei realized that he was gripping Tadashi’s arms tightly, and he tried to ease his hold. “Sorry,” he said, rubbing his palms over the places he had inadvertently squeezed. “I was just… thinking.”

“No thinking,” scolded Tadashi. “Unless it’s good things.” He curled his fingers gently over Kei’s shoulder. “We already discussed the bad things, right?” he reminded the prince. “So there’s no use dwelling on them. Especially not if it’s going to make you all distracted and tense like that.” Tadashi stuck out his lower lip like a pouting child. “I’m supposed to be the one distracting you.”

Smiling, Kei kissed his pout and rested his forehead against Tadashi’s. “I’ll try to do better,” he promised. “I’m not used to not thinking. And, er, any of this. I guess I’m a little nervous. I…” He looked away, unable to meet Tadashi’s eyes. “I kind of feel like this is too good to be true. Like I can’t actually have you, not to keep. Er… I mean…” He sighed. “I don’t know what I mean.”

“Kei,” said Tadashi, resting his cheek against the prince’s shoulder. “I can’t tell you what the future will bring, but you can have me now. And in the future, if I have any say in it. I want you.” His breath huffed a little in a half laugh. “And you can’t be nervous, because I’m nervous. One of us has to be the bold one. Or at least pretend to know what we’re doing…”

“I think that’s you,” murmured Kei, pressing a soft kiss to Tadashi’s hair. “You’re the one seducing me here.”

“I don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it,” muttered Tadashi. 

“Oh, yes, you are,” said Kei. “Trust me.”

Pulling back to look up at his boyfriend, Tadashi smiled, and the tremble of nerves was almost undetectable. “Well… the bed is right here, so I suppose we should lie down.”

“Good idea,” said Kei, releasing Tadashi from his embrace and watching the witch climb up and settle himself on the bed. That warm, pleased feeling was back, and he paused, taking in the sight of Tadashi lounging against his pillows. “You look so good in my bed,” he burst out. 

“Kei,” protested Tadashi, reaching out for him. He was already flushed and looked very pretty surrounded by the warm colors of the coverlet and pillows. 

Obediently, the prince joined Tadashi on the bed, coming to rest on an elbow, half over him. With his other hand, he cupped Tadashi’s cheek in his palm, running his thumb softly over the freckles on his face. “Lovely,” he said, delighting in the way Tadashi’s eyes fluttered closed and his blush deepened. 

“I thought about this,” whispered Tadashi, eyes still closed. “After you left. While I was waiting to hear from you. I would lie in my bed at night and pretend you were with me. I thought about how you kissed me in the wagon and wondered… how it would be if I could feel your skin while we kissed…”

“God, Tadashi,” groaned Kei, unable to stop himself from picturing Tadashi in bed, wanting him… He pressed a hard kiss to Tadashi’s lips, breathing out, “I want that. I want to feel you.”

He wiggled closer and threw his leg over Kei’s thigh, bringing their bodies closer. “Kiss me first.”

Their kisses were fiercer, deeper, tinged with desperation and long-denied desire. Kei felt like his body was on fire, burning in every place it touched Tadashi, flames licking through his veins with every sweet shift of the body under him. His thoughts were burnt away, along with his nerves; all that remained was his need to be closer, to be tangled up in this man, to feel his pleasure. His hips were undulating steadily against Tadashi’s, and the pressure was so good that he had to force himself to stop, or else it would be over too fast. And he wanted Tadashi naked.

“Can I?” he panted against Tadashi’s jaw, fingering the buttons of his tunic with clear intention. As soon as his boyfriend nodded, they made quick work of the tunic, baring Tadashi’s firm, pale chest to Kei’s hungry gaze. His palms mapped the newly visible skin as Tadashi struggled to free his arms from the sleeves. Despite having seen Tadashi shirtless before, this was the first time he felt like he had the freedom to explore, and he took full advantage, loving the way Tadashi’s breath caught as he grazed a nipple and the squirms that resulted from ticklish places. He pressed open mouthed kisses to the constellations of pale freckles on his shoulders, murmuring words of appreciation. 

“Kei,” whined Tadashi, squirming under him. His fingers had found their way inside Kei’s shirt, cooly tracing the planes of his back. 

Kei knew what he wanted, and he sat back on his heels, still straddling Tadashi, to struggle out of his own dress shirt, flinging it away behind him. He worked at the fastenings of his straining trousers as well, which was less successful, because Tadashi's hands were roaming over his chest and distracting him. He leaned back down to cup Tadashi's face and kiss him fiercely. "Just wait a minute," he said, trying to make his voice stern. 

Slipping off of the bed and out of reach, he worked his trousers down his legs and kicked them off, only slightly self conscious in his underwear with Tadashi's dark gaze on him. "Can I…?" he asked again, taking the fabric of Tadashi's pants between his fingers and tugging it gently. 

With a nod, Tadashi reached to undo the lacings, lifting his hips as Kei pulled them off of him. He hesitated a moment, biting his lip, before pushing his undershorts away also, leaving him completely bare. Immediately, his hands flew to his face, covering the rapidly spreading scarlet blush.

"God, Tadashi," whispered Kei, his palm lightly skimming up the soft skin of one thigh. 

Tadashi made a noise like _"eep"_ and peeked through his fingers. 

"I want to touch you," Kei said, stepping out of his own shorts and clambering back onto the bed to press himself against Tadashi. He moaned lowly as his cock rubbed against Tadashi's hip, the intimacy of skin on skin contact bringing him alarmingly close to climax again. "I'm so close already," he confessed. "You feel so good."

"Me too," whimpered Tadashi, clutching at Kei's shoulders and lifting his hips to let Kei's body settle more firmly between his thighs. "Please, Kei."

"Yesssss." He rocked against Tadashi, kissing him deeply, and reached between them to wrap a hand around both of their cocks. 

Tadashi let out a high pitched whine and only a couple of strokes later, his body was spasming with his climax. 

"Fuck, Tadashi," groaned Kei, clenching his teeth together as sensations overwhelmed him and he came. They collapsed together, breathless from exertion, and lay still until their bodies calmed. 

Kei's eyes were closed, his face tucked against Tadashi's neck, and he felt like he could just melt and lie here forever, especially with the way Tadashi's hands were stroking his back. "Is that what you thought about?" he asked, finally.

"No," said Tadashi, his voice a sleepy murmur. "But it's what I'll think about next time."

Smiling, Kei raised his head enough to kiss his boyfriend, soft and slow. "I don't want to move," he sighed, "but I guess we shouldn't let this dry."

"Hmm," said Tadashi, smiling back. "Then we might wake up stuck together."

"The horror," said Kei, drily, pressing his lips to Tadashi's again. Then, heaving another big sigh, he pulled himself upright, looking down at the mess they had left on Tadashi's stomach. Something low in his belly tightened, and he felt a pang of renewed desire. "Come on," he said, taking Tadashi's hand and pulling him along. "I have my own bathing room. And my bathtub is big enough for us both."

Laughing, Tadashi let Kei lead him into the antechamber. Somehow, he didn’t think they’d be getting that much sleep tonight.


End file.
